Rangers are usually found in agencies which are small in size or of relatively short history when compared to their police counterparts, so many people have little or no knowledge concerning park rangers. Also, the term ranger itself has different meanings from agency to agency and person to person. Generally speaking, a "ranger" is a law enforcement officer whose jurisdiction and/or responsibilities center around natural resources. However, there can be considerable differences in the actual work performed by rangers in different agencies. Rangers at one agency may primarily function as naturalists who manage and interpret natural resources for the public. At others agencies they may perform park maintenance duties and have limited law enforcement authority. Some serve as park police, enforcing laws, investigating crimes, and making arrests. Many rangers in fact are tasked with varying amounts of interpretation, park maintenance, and law enforcement assignments within their job descriptions.

To complicate this issue more, there are even different types of rangers. The more prevalent "park" rangers are found in national, state, and local public parks, but there are also "forest" rangers who work in our national, and state forests. Some agencies refer to their personnel as "park officers." And many people are further confused by thinking of "wildlife officers," or "game wardens," as rangers, because they often wear similar uniforms and enforce the same laws.

For these reasons the role of park ranger is frequently misunderstood. These misunderstandings can become serious problems, if a person thinks that he is not dealing with a with a law enforcement officer and chooses to challenge or ignore a ranger’s authority, when in fact he is dealing with a ranger who is an officer with the same legal authority as a municipal police officer.

To set matters straight then, it is necessary to define the scope of authority of the Five Rivers MetroParks Rangers.

The legal authority for Five Rivers Park Rangers comes from the Ohio Revised Code (O.R.C.). O.R.C. section 1545.07 authorizes the board of park commissioners to, "employ...such other employees as are necessary in the performance of the powers conferred in such sections (O.R.C. 1545.01 - 1545.28)."

O.R.C. 1545.13 grants police powers to the Five Rivers MetroParks Ranger Division: "The employees that the board of park commissioners designates for that purpose may exercise all the powers of police officers within and adjacent to the lands under the jurisdiction and control of the board..."

The O.R.C. clarifies this matter further in section 109.71 (A) (7) where the term "Peace Officer" is said to include: "An employee of a park district who is designated pursuant to section...1545.13 of the Revised Code.

To summarize, the Ohio Revised Code has established that park rangers are "Peace Officers" or, more commonly "Police Officers", with certain police powers. These police powers are the same for officers throughout the state of Ohio. Rangers who announce themselves to a person as "Police" or "Park Police" during an encounter are attempting to make this authority clear to the person.

The Five Rivers MetroParks Rangers’ primary duties are to preserve the peace, protect life and property, and to enforce the laws of Ohio and the regulations of the MetroParks. Pursuant to these duties rangers issue warnings, either verbal or written, issue citations, make arrests, and investigate crimes from minor misdemeanors to serious felonies.

As required by law, all Five Rivers MetroParks Rangers must pass the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy prior to employment as a ranger. This extensive curriculum covers the topics of: Administration, Legal, Human Relations, Firearms, Driving, Investigation, Traffic Accident Investigation, Patrol, Traffic Enforcement, Civil Disorders, Unarmed Self Defense, Prisoner Booking/Handling, First Aid, and Physical Conditioning.

Once on the job, rangers, like all peace officers in Ohio, are required to meet the on-going training standards set by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Council, the governing body of law enforcement in Ohio. Rangers continue to receive training at the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy and from numerous other sources. Some rangers have become instructors in various fields and can provide training to their fellow officers here at home.

The members of the Five Rivers MetroParks Ranger Division are proud of the job they do. They are committed to keeping their promise to the public of "Clean, safe parks.

When you meet a Five Rivers Ranger, you are meeting a highly trained, committed, professional police officer who works in the parks to keep you safe when you visit. The only difference from their traditional police counterparts, is that they wear a different shade of blue.