Employee perceptions of protected area law enforcement

Abstract

It is widely accepted that criminal activity negatively impacts visitors? recreation experiences in the nation?s parks and forests (Fletcher 1983). To further understand how law enforcement can effectively manage criminal activity in protected areas, this study was designed to describe law enforcement and non-law enforcement rangers? perceptions of a range of law enforcement issues. The data for this study were collected through a webbased survey of National Park Service full-time rangers and superintendents (n=527). Analysis indicated differing perceptions of crime and law enforcement in the parks among respondents with and without law enforcement experience. Also, results indicated a preference for harder (arrest and citation versus educational) levels of enforcement among rangers employed at parks closer to urban areas. These results seem to agree with literature in both the recreation field and the law enforcement field in terms of the relationship between urban encroachment, crime, and law enforcement on protected areas.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 2005 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Citation

Wynveen, Christopher J.; Bixler, Robert D.; Hammitt, William E. 2006. Employee perceptions of protected area law enforcement. In: Peden, John G.; Schuster, Rudy M., comps., eds. Proceedings of the 2005 northeastern recreation research symposium; 2005 April 10-12; Bolton Landing, NY. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-341. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 222-230