California State Park Rangers
| California State Park Peace Officer | |
|---|---|
|
Patch of the California State Park Peace Officer | |
|
Logo of the California State Park Peace Officer | |
| Agency overview | |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of California, USA |
 | |
| Map of California State Park Peace Officer's jurisdiction. | |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Sacramento, California |
| Website | |
| California Park Ranger page | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
California State Park Peace Officers formally known as State Park Rangers and State Park Lifeguards, are fully sworn California State Police Officers, often using the title of State Police Officer during enforcement contact, as many Park Rangers with municipalities, counties and special districts are not armed Peace Officers, with authority throughout the state, on and off duty, like the California State Park Peace Officers law enforcement officer. State Park Peace Officers perform a wide variety of general law-enforcement activities, including complex criminal investigations, traffic enforcement, and participate in statewide task forces, for gang suspension, narcotics enforcement, auto theft, and fish and wildlife crimes, under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Parks and Recreation in the state parks of California, United States. Duties include general law enforcement, aquatic rescue (by lifeguards and other certified officers), search and rescue, emergency medical response, interpretation of natural, historic and cultural resources, resource protection, park management and proactive enforcement patrol. The current sidearm of the California State Park Peace Officer is the Smith & Wesson M&P, the current patrol rifle is the Colt AR-15 Model LE6920, and the current patrol shotgun is the venerable, Remington Model 870 Police Magnum.
Functions
- Public safety
- Law-enforcement services
- Lifeguard services
- Medical aid/emergency medical response
- Operating and maintaining emergency equipment
- Visitor assistance
- Advising visitors of rules and regulations
- Providing general park information
- Public education and interpretation
- Community outreach
- Interpretive programs
- Junior Ranger and Lifeguard Program
- Park Resource Protection and Management
See also
References
- Lynch, Michael G. (2009). "Images of America Series". California State Park Rangers. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738559933.