The Value of Appearance

It's true, bears can climb trees.

      This second week has been busy with all sort of tasks the Law Enforcement Ranger has to perform at Shenandoah National Park. I began my week with the annual fire refresher for my wild land fire certification. We got a chance to dust off the motions of deploying our fire shelters and discussing L.C.E.S (Lookout, Communication, Escape Routes, and Safety Zones). The more I thought about how this applies to fire situations, I applied it to my law enforcement skills as well. As the summer goes on the park is getting busier and busier on the weekdays and weekends. I have had several opportunities to play the essential role of what a backup officer may perform for another officer when addressing a contact in a safe situation. I am looking out for any weapons that may be used to harm an officer or myself, I continue to communicate with the initial officer if I see anything, and if anything goes wrong I know I have a planned escape to a safe area. Those several chances to perform backup officer work has made me more comfortable addressing someone during a traffic stop. 

One of the important standards that a ranger should be held up to is the appearance we provide for the public. When you are in the eye of the public each day, it has been expressed to me how valuable that high standard of  our appearance we should keep, from a clean uniform to a clean car. Even when I had the opportunity to attend court yesterday morning with several of the rangers in Harrisonburg, they were in their Class A uniforms, shined boots, green tie, and a flat hat. As I continue my internship here at Shenandoah I continue to experience more law enforcement contacts and situations that occur allowing me to ask all the necessary questions to further my training with the National Park Service. 

Keeping the patrol vehicles clean.