How Much Authority Does a Park Ranger Have?
Park rangers work at national forests, parks and historic trails. Their duties are centered on both law enforcement and cultural/interpretive activities.
Commissioned NPS law enforcement rangers are sworn peace officers with broad authority to enforce federal laws in all NPS sites. They conduct investigations, arrest suspects and present cases to US attorneys.
Law Enforcement
Park rangers are federal law enforcement officers with broad authority to enforce laws and regulations within the National Park System. They can warn, issue citations or make arrests as needed to protect natural resources, NPS employees and visitors from illegal activities such as littering, hunting or fishing without a license.
In addition to their law enforcement duties, park rangers also conduct investigations and provide expert testimony at trials as needed. They can also be certified as search and rescue rangers to assist those who become lost in remote wilderness areas or experience technical challenges such as stranding in swift water or high angle rock climbing.
Whether patrolling on foot, by off-road vehicle or boat, park rangers are constantly on the lookout for anything that could threaten natural or cultural treasures within the parks. To become a park ranger, you must complete an intensive training program, similar to a police academy. Park rangers who specialize in law enforcement are commissioned as peace officers and carry firearms.
Public Education
Park rangers, including those who work for municipal parks departments and state park systems as well as those who are certified law enforcement rangers with the National Park Service, perform multiple duties. These range from enforcing federal laws within park boundaries to teaching the public about the history and culture of the parks in which they work by giving group tours and presenting visitor programs.
The job description also includes patrolling the outdoors and looking for litter, poaching, injured animals or displaced people. They are able to write fines, confiscate hunting/fishing licenses and make arrests as needed.
Depending on their level of training, some park rangers may also serve as special agents who investigate cases in which a crime takes place within national parks. In these cases, they often appear in court to provide testimony. To help protect the public, they must follow a strict code of conduct. This code requires them to abide by the laws of their nation and to respect all citizens, regardless of race, religion, sex or gender.
Safety
Park rangers have a broad range of duties. They may patrol for litter, illegal hunting and fishing or to look for injured animals or visitors who have become lost. They can write citations, make arrests and use force when necessary. They are required to uphold and enforce all laws and policies while performing their duties as well as in their personal lives. They will not accept anything of value, including favored treatment, that could conflict with their law enforcement mission or give the appearance of such conflict.
Park rangers can be found working at national forests, historic trails, battlefields and even the White House grounds. The National Park Service has law enforcement rangers who are certified police officers and also cultural/interpretive park rangers who are responsible for educating visitors about the park experience. They receive extensive police training and regular firearms training. Some rangers are also emergency medical technicians or first responders and can operate ambulances when needed.
Administration
Park Rangers must complete specialized training and meet additional job-related requirements. These vary by park system, but include:
In addition to logging daily activities, rangers must maintain a record of all interactions with the public and all actions they take. They must also complete annual physical training. In some cases, park rangers must also complete law enforcement training academies in order to become fully commissioned peace officers and be able to perform law enforcement services.
As a full-time peace officer, park rangers are authorized to enforce County Regional Parks specific laws and County Vehicle, Penal and Health & Safety codes within parks and formerly designated “zones of impact”. Some National Park Service units have exclusive law enforcement jurisdiction while others share jurisdiction with local city or county police departments. In those cases, memoranda of understanding and mutual assistance agreements allow for joint law enforcement efforts.
