Violence Against Park Staff Rising
The recent killing of a ranger highlights a growing problem.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Violence aimed at national park employees—whether a verbal threat from a drunken visitor, a fistfight, or even fatal gunfire—is rising, a report released in August by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) revealed.
Incidents of threats, harassment, and violence against park employees jumped from ten cases in 2000 to 104 in 2001, the report stated. PEER released a report last year indicating a smaller increase between 1999 and 2000. |
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, labeled the most dangerous park to be a ranger. |
Violence to park staff drew media attention in August when Ranger Kris Eggle from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona was shot to death while helping border officials track a fugitive.
"[Eggle's death] underscores growing danger facing Park Service employees," said Eric Wingerter, of PEER.
Fortunately, the tragedy at Organ Pipe is the exception rather than the rule—most violence against park staff is relatively minor, such as threats from visitors.
"Society is changing," said Ken Mabery, president of the Association of National Park Rangers. "It is becoming urbanized and quicker-paced. That leads to people not knowing how to relax when they get to parks. They don't know how to unwind. Ten or 20 years ago, we didn't see that."
Anecdotally, rangers throughout the park system have reported an increase in violence from visitors, said Mabery. Still, officials also credit better reporting of incidents as a factor in the increase stated in PEER's report.
"As a society, we are getting more sophisticated about reporting what is nefarious behavior," said Mabery.
The Park Service lacks the capacity to track violence aimed at its staff, PEER said. Others agree the Park Service could do a better job of chronicling violent incidents but recognize the difficulty of doing so.
"If we report every little incident, we'll have fewer people in the field helping visitors—they will be in the office writing up reports," said Mabery. "Each chief ranger wrestles with that."
Officials at smaller parks that attract fewer visitors tend to have more time to write detailed reports, said Mabery, while officials at the heavily visited parks may report only severe cases.
And, with the Park Service's field staff at its lowest level in decades—about 1,350 law enforcement commissioned rangers—the attention paid to increasing violence has its limits.
"There has been better reporting of incidents recently," said Mabery. "Now, whether we have time to investigate or address them is a different story."
