COLUMBUS, OH -- Cynthia Bellar of Maplewood in Shelby County has been named an assistant law enforcement administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft in Columbus. She is currently a state watercraft officer.
In her new position, Bellar will help coordinate statewide boating law enforcement and water rescue programs; the marine patrol grant and equipment loan programs; water release program; and participation in the national vessel safety check program.
Bellar, 35, is a graduate of The Ohio State University. She first joined ODNR in 1990 as a college intern and later became an officer with Ohio State Parks. She joined the Division of Watercraft in 1996 and has been working as a watercraft officer in the Wapakoneta district office since 2000. Her western Ohio patrol duties focused mainly on Grand Lake St. Marys and Indian Lake.
The ODNR Division of Watercraft administers Ohios boating programs, including watercraft registration and titling operations, and provides grants to local communities for enforcement, education and boating access facilities. The division investigates boating accidents and related fatalities, and enforces state boating laws on Ohios waterways. These and other Division of Watercraft programs are funded through a portion of the state gasoline sales tax in addition to boat registration and titling fees.