Want to report illegal activity involving Louisiana wildlife? There’s an app for that.

Recently, Louisiana Operation Game Thief, Inc. (LOGT), a Louisiana wildlife crime-stoppers program, awarded $6,500 to individuals, whose vigilance led to the arrest of 26 people involved in 14 cases representing 50 offenses of state wildlife regulations.

“We depend on Operation Game Thief and these public tips to help break a lot of cases that might have otherwise gone unsolved,” says Louisiana Department Wildlife Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement LOGT Coordinator Sgt. Will Roberts. “Perfect examples of the public helping us get convictions are in the recent black bear and bald eagle cases.”

Information from the public resulted in guilty pleas in federal court from New Iberia resident Cory Ronsonet for illegally taking a Louisiana black bear and West Monroe’s Jeffrey Miles for shooting a bald eagle. In appreciation, the two black bear tipsters received a total of $800, and the bald eagle informant garnered the maximum reward of $1,000.

Begun in 1984, LOGT meets quarterly to review cases and mete out cash awards for evidence leading to the arrest or conviction of violators of fish and wildlife regulations. The money comes from private donations, court directed contributions and cooperative endeavor agreements with organizations such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and Quality Deer Management Association.

The critter Crime Stopper program may soon find itself hunting for additional funding sources, if its new, anonymous, high-tech tip line is as successful as projected.

Upon witnessing a violation of wildlife or hunting regulations, anyone in Louisiana can now text or download an app to send photo evidence and tips to LDWF and engage in a silent, anonymous, real-time, live chat with a field agent.

“We’re proud to make this technology available to our citizens free of charge,” says LDWF Col. Winton Vidrine, head of the Enforcement Division. “Tip411 help[s] our citizens play an active role in enforc[ing] current conservation rules and regulations. [It] will engage younger folks in the process and save our agency time and resources.“

In fact, within less than a week of its late September premiere, tip411 led officials to uncover illegal activity.

Investigating a tip411 complaint, an LDWF agent found four, live alligators confined outside a Basile home. Two weeks earlier, Evangeline Parish resident John Sonnier’s farmhands had captured the reptiles, which he kept in a large black container.

The confiscated live gators were released back to the wild. And, Sonnier was cited for possessing alligators during a closed season. Those charges typically warrant a $400 to $950 fine and/or up to 120 days in jail plus court cost and forfeiture of seized items.

To report hunting violations, a threat to public safety or protected wildlife endangerment, Louisianans text LADWF at 847411, or use the LADWF Tips iPhone app, a free download from the Apple iTunes store. Tip411 removes all identifying information before the text reaches the state agency, so the sender’s identity remains unknown.

Less tech-savvy observers can still call LOGT’s toll free hotline at 1-800-442-2511. Both the hotline and tip411 program are monitored 24 hours a day.

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