INDE NHP week 6

               

Sunday I arrived to work and quickly geared up in the men’s locker room of 339. I reported to Ranger Snow to get the details on the briefing the Law Enforcement Rangers had earlier in the day. I had unfortunately missed the briefing but Mr. Snow was able to inform me on what I had missed.   After conversing with both supervisors and getting my orders for the day I introduced myself to Ranger Tim who is a ProRanger program graduate. He currently works at Valley Forge National Historical Park, which isn’t too far outside of Philadelphia. A little while later, we spoke all LE staff met over at Peoples Plaza to get ready for the events that was scheduled for the day.

At Peoples Plaza a big group of people gathered from all over to rally for marijuana. Sometimes these events can get intense as it did, and extra police officers were in attendance from other agencies. What happened on this day to me was another eye opener. I have heard about gatherings like this and even watched them on TV, however to physically be in the area observing the event was really intense. Through my observation I can appreciate the communication and the plethora of resources the National Parks Service has. This agency is well rounded and ready for everything thrown their way. It was also interesting to see a different side of Law enforcement than I am used to. During the event I was able to record some video, take pictures and be a part of the eyes and ears in the background.

     After being a part of the event today at INDE I am even more excited about working as a LE Park Ranger. I have realized that every day in service isn’t the same and I have a lot to look forward to. Moments after the event all units united in the Liberty Bell Center to discuss what happened earlier. During that time all units also talked about what could be done better next time. Quite of few rangers asked me how I felt about the event. Others gave me advice and encouragement, I appreciated it all. The rest of the night slowed down a lot. I returned to 339 and watched some videos I recorded. I also sat and watched Ranger Martina process evidence. She showed me how to correctly process evidence and the paperwork to go with it. It seems one must have enough time and patience to properly process evidence. There are many aspects of processing evidence, like documenting the chain of command, and if you rush you might miss something. All around today was a learning experience for me. I got to be a part of something great. The rest of my shift I did my own paperwork, posted last week’s blog, updated my new blog and patrolled the park.

The following day I arrived to work at my regular scheduled time. I got geared up and headed downstairs to the main office where I spoke to the LE staff. Everyone was reflecting on the event that happened the day before. All rangers met to have a briefing in which the SET team also took part in. During this briefing the rangers discussed the events and things to consider for future events. The SET team gave advice as well. After the briefing I headed into the field and did some foot patrolling around the park.

During the middle of my shift I went back to the ranger station to work on the chemicals list project I was given. I started taking inventory from the top floor and worked my way down to the basement. I had a few questions about the project so I directed them to my supervisor Ranger Snow and he was able to help me out a lot. I checked every room and closet in the R&VP rooms that I have access to. My next few days of work coming up I plan on completing the project and attaching the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to the list. The rest of the night I spent in dispatch again observing the things they do on a daily basis.  In dispatch I paid a lot of attention to the plethora of surveillance cameras they have set around the park. Having so much surveillance is absolutely necessary because the Rangers and the Sectek Guards may not be able to see everything, and dispatch can help look for unusual things in the park without leaving their location.  Working in dispatch seems to be a great job because they are the main communication unit for the park. They help LE keep the park safe and notify them when something is wrong.

On Tuesday I arrived on site around my regular scheduled time again. I gear up and talked to the rangers. At the beginning of the shift I worked on the chemical inventory project adding more information to my list. I then reported to the east wing for our weekly briefing. At the briefing LE staff and the SET team met to talk about the events this week which is welcome week.  Having extra coverage in the park is great for big event when we expect more visitors. After the briefing the SET team taught and demonstrated tactics that all rangers should find useful in the field. I got a chance to speak with Ranger Joe who gave me more information about the operation of the SET team. He informed me that the set team is a special events tactic team and each region in the National Parks Service has one. He also informed me that rangers need 3 years of experience after leaving FLETC to qualify for the SET Team. I found it interesting that this team goes all over the United States to help Law Enforcement Park Rangers with rallies, demonstrations and where extra resources are needed. After they finished the training I patrolled the park by myself, then met up with Ranger Melissa and her and myself cleared 2^nd bank.

After patrolling I came into the ranger station and updated my blog. This week has definitely gone by fast but I learned a lot about the service that I didn’t know before. The last thing I did before leaving the park was work out in the M.E.B. I worked on my upper body strength with the free weights and my lower body and cardio with the elliptical. This was one of my best work outs yet. With each week I feel myself getting leaner, yet stronger than before. The next few days of PT I will push myself even harder. After exercising I cleared the gym and left INDE. 

That was my 6th week at INDE.