Current Position: Park Officer
How long have you been with Ohio State Parks and in what capacity?
I have been a Park Officer with Ohio State Parks for 19 years. I spent the first 10 years at Cleveland Lakefront State Park, and then transferred to Findley State Park.
How did you become involved in working as a Park Officer?
I knew a woman whose husband worked as a Park Officer for the state park system. He was out recruiting one day and briefly interviewed me. I met all the qualification for the job so I applied, interview and got the position as a Park Officer. I liked the idea of working in a park setting. I always wanted to be a police officer, but did not like the city pace.
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.)
When I was with Cleveland Lakefront State Park it was mainly law enforcement issues you dealt with. Cleveland Lakefront is a series of six day-use park areas along the Lake Erie shoreline in the heart of inner-city Cleveland. In that urban setting, you never knew what you were going to experience in a given day; it could go from helping with a stranded motorist or a traffic accident, to responding to a shooting.
Since I transferred to Findley State Park, which is a rural park in a small town setting, I spend less time on law enforcement duties, and am more involved in the operations of the park. Findley is more typical of other state parks, and now my day is more about providing customer service and working with management, administrative and maintenance operations in the campground and other park areas. I still have law enforcement issues to deal with, though, and some can become extreme, like the time I assisted with the rescue of two kids who were surrounded by floodwaters when their vehicle was swept away. Another time, when I took a report of damage to a personal vehicle, I found that the owner had a felony warrant for his arrest.
How many hours a week do you work in this position?
40 hours.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
When I worked at Cleveland Lakefront, I enjoyed the law enforcement and working with the officer on my shift. We were so close that we could read each other without saying a word. When I came to Findley it was like starting a new job. I saw a different side of Ohio State Parks that I never experienced before. I still enjoy the law enforcement, but now I am involved with the other aspects of the park, doing special events, and making people smile. What I enjoy the most is that my days are never the same.
What do you find to be the greatest challenges of your job?
During the summer months we are at our peak visitation. With the staffing level the same it is a challenge to keep up without burning yourself out. With special events and holidays we are extremely busy with law enforcement issues and general customer service issues. Once again going from Park Officer to Police Officer you ride the roller coaster mentally and physically. It is a challenge to do this, then turn everything off and go home to your family.
What kind of training/schooling is required in your position?
The minimum requirements are a high school diploma and an Ohio Peace Officer Certificate.
Is there any kind of training or general experience that you wish you had before taking your job?
No. I feel the person will posses certain qualities to be able to do the job at the start.
What are a few of the projects that you've been working on recently that have been the most interesting?
The Friends of Findley State Park is a non-profit group that a co-worker and I helped organize. The friends group plays a significant role at the park, donating their time to raise money and contributing prizes at special events. Beautification of the park areas by landscaping and flowers has been a big improvement. They are working on raising enough money to build a shelter house. They host a car show every year, which has become a major event for them. I was also involved in a capital improvement project to upgrade the campground with 90 electrical campsites. This entailed measuring camp pads and walking with engineers and contractors to determine the location of pedestals, along with overseeing the project from time to time making sure everything is going right.
I recently took over coordination of the Camper Host Program. Three sets of campers volunteer 24 hours a week to clean campsites, check restroom for cleanliness and assist other campers with general issues. The program was falling apart, so I brought it back to the basics and it is running very successfully now. We obtained golf carts for the camper hosts to do their job, since we rely on them greatly on holidays and during special events.
If someone were interested in working as a Park Officer, what advice could you give them?
My advice to new park officers is that you have to understand that you are a park officer as well as a police officer. You have switch between them, and know when to be a hard-hitting law enforcer at times, but remember to provide good customer service for the majority of law-abiding park visitors who are there to enjoy the park. If you can balance the two, then it will work out for you.
Please share any further thoughts you may have about working in the state park system:
Working for the Ohio State Park system gives you many opportunities to explore different avenues of your position. I go from enforcing the Ohio Revised Code by issuing tickets and making arrests, to planning special events. I oversee programs and have input in the park operations. If you have a good park manager who invites you to share your thoughts and gives you the freedom to grow, you will enjoy working for Ohio State Parks.
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