Park Rangers: The Unsung Heroes of American Law Enforcement

Park Ranger
Margaret Anderson

With Sunday's heinous murder of Park Ranger Margaret Anderson at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, the dangers park rangers and park police officers face has been thrust into the national spotlight. Any police officer will tell you that parks have just as much crime as cities, but citizens are often oblivious to this fact.

The past 12 months have been an extremely sad time for law enforcement officers nationwide. It has been especially so for the extraordinary men and women whose mission is to keep safe all of America's national parks and the citizens who visit them.

Since its founding in 1916, the National Park Service has lost a total of 40 law enforcement officers in the line of duty in its two distinct agencies: The National Park Service (NPS) and the United States Park Police (USPP). Almost half those total deaths (17 of the 40) have occurred since 1990, and, tragically, 10% of the total deaths have happened in the past 12 months alone with four park LEOs being killed in the line of duty:

Sergeant Michael Boehm

• On January 29, 2011, Park Ranger Chris Nickel (NPS) died while on a backcountry patrol in Hovenweep National Monument, Utah
• On February 24, 2011, Park Ranger Julie Weir (NPS) was killed in an automobile accident in Nebraska while on official travel from Independence National Historic Park, Pennsylvania, to Yosemite National Park, California
• On December 16, 2011, Sergeant Michael Boehm (USPP) suffered a fatal heart attack while responding to assist a man who had jumped from a bridge in Washington, DC.
• On January 1, 2012, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson (NPS) was shot and killed while attempting to stop a vehicle in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

The remote locations and ruggedness of many national parks put park rangers at a unique disadvantage when they encounter danger. Assuming they even have communications with dispatchers, their backup may be hours or even days away if they get injured or wounded.

Park Ranger
Randy Morgenson

In July 1996 Park Ranger Randy Morgenson, a 27-year veteran of the NPS, went out on a backcountry patrol in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, California. When he failed to return from the patrol a search was initiated, but he could not be located. It wasn't until July 2001 -- five years later -- that his body was finally located. Ranger Morgenson had suffered severe injuries after falling through a snow drift, and subsequently died without being able to notify others of his injury or location.

Not all dangers faced by park LEOs occur in rural areas, however. The United States Park Police are tasked with protecting national parks and monuments located in and around the urban areas of Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York City, and San Francisco. In a unique jurisdictional setup, the USPP don't only protect the parkland in Washington, DC, but share concurrent jurisdiction throughout the entire city. In fact, the very first park LEO killed in the line of duty was a member of the USPP. On November 12, 1923, Officer William Allen was electrocuted when he picked up a radio wire that was being installed on a home in Washington, DC, illegally.

The next time you visit a national park and encounter a park ranger or park police officer, be sure to thank them for keeping you safe. As seen in recent times, these park-based crime fighters have suffered more than their fare share of danger.

Author's note: This article addresses the dangers faced by law enforcement officers of the National Park Service and the United States Park Police. A follow up article will be written in the future highlighting the service and sacrifice suffered by local, state, and other federal parks / recreation law enforcement agencies.

Explaining End of Year Statistics

As the end of the year closes in, we start hearing more reports about the number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty this year.  As these reports come out from various organizations, we at ODMP receive countless questions about why ODMP's numbers differ from media reports.

There are several organizations that track and report statistics on line of duty deaths (LODDs).  They range from non-profits to government agencies to for-profit businesses.  The most accurate annual reports generally start arriving a few months after the end of the year, but since ODMP started reporting up to date LODDs in 1996, Internet users have grown accustomed to knowing current statistics in real time.  Other reports that you see this time of year are preliminary reports and the final numbers are always reduced by other organizations when they publish their final reports.

While ODMP prides itself on accuracy, let's not forget that ODMP's mission is to remember the individual heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice.  Statistics are valuable for promoting awareness and training, but we focus on the men and women who laid down their lives.  ODMP's numbers come directly from the number of published memorials, which are all found online at www.ODMP.org.  We do not create memorials if the incident was not in the line of duty.

Throughout the year, we work closely with other non-profits, the U.S. Department of Justice, and individual agencies to confirm line of duty incidents.  After the end of the year, we compare notes and make adjustments, if necessary. We are proud of the fact that ODMP's adjustments never significantly skew our statistics.  We think this reflects we're doing a good job—the best we can—to honor fallen heroes.

View 2011's heroes and LODD statistics, and read the stories of all 20,785 heroes since 1791.  Let us know how we can continue to improve how we honor them.

The Deadliest Days in Law Enforcement are Approaching

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day are fast approaching, which means that law enforcement officers need to be even more vigilant. Excluding September 11th, these three dates are the three deadliest in the history of law enforcement.

Date	# LODDs
1. January 1st	106
2. December 25th	85
3. December 24th	84

Every officer knows that domestic violence spikes during the holidays. This increase in domestic calls has a direct correlation to the spike in line of duty duty deaths, both from gunfire and auto accidents during the responses.

Already, in December 2011, there has been a sudden increase in gunfire deaths of law enforcement officers. In the past week alone, there have been three unproved fatal shootings of law enforcement officers in Virginia, Kansas, and New York.

As we get closer to the holidays, please be extra vigilant. Slow down, wear your seatbelt, and as our good friend Dave "Buck Savage" Smith says: "Watch the hands!"

• Download free officer safety posters to display at your department over the holidays.

Line of Duty Deaths on Christmas Day, By State: