Current Position: State Park Police Officer at Worthington State Forest
How long have you been with the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and in what capacity?
10 years as a State Park Police Officer.
How did you become involved in working as a State Park Police Officer?
I grew up wanting to become a Park Ranger. I enjoy outdoor activities. I was first introduced to the New Jersey State Park Service working seasonally as an Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner, and for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Describe a typical day at your job.
(If there is no such thing as a typical day, then please tell us about your primary responsibilities and duties.)
My primary responsibilities focus on visitors and resource protection. The job entails education, enforcement, emergency response, EMS, search and rescue, high angle rescue, backcountry patrol, campground management, motor vehicle law, fish and wildlife law and criminal law. It’s my job to foster communication and cooperation among diverse users.
How many hours a week do you work in this position?
40 hours per week, additional hours when necessary.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
I love high angle rescue, the Appalachian Trail, the New Jersey Ridgerunner program and the backcountry. I love the unexpected nature of the job and the wildness of the park where I work.
What do you find to be the greatest challenges of your job?
One word: paperwork.
What kind of training/schooling is required in your position?
A Civil Service Test, completion of the Police Academy training and a successful year as a trainee working in the field.
Is there any kind of training or general experience that you wish you had before taking your job?
More criminal justice classes.
What are a few of the projects that you've been working on recently that have been the most interesting?
Overseeing the Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner Program, including three seasonal employees who foot patrol the 72+ miles of the Appalachian Trail that run through New Jersey.
If someone were interested in working in the State Park Police, what advice could you give them?
First, take the NJ Civil Service Test. Visit the parks and forests in New Jersey; they are all so different from one another. Get in shape and stay in shape. Do some soul searching. The career is a big commitment. Ask lots of questions of others already on the job. Realize that it will be challenging, and at times frustrating, but know you will experience some of the most rewarding and life altering events.
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