Policing the Parks
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Johnson County Park Police. This police force is similar to others in the county—their equipment and law enforcement duties are the same, and park officers go through training at the Regional Police Academy. The Park Police are different in two major areas, however. First, other law enforcement agencies serve a fixed population, in a city or the county as a whole. The Park Police provide for the safety and protection of the fluctuating population of park users. Secondly, Park Police have college degrees in natural sciences and a major part of their job is to create and implement environmental education programs.
When the Shawnee Mission Park District (later the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District) was created in 1955, its board was empowered to employ police officers. In the early years, several part-time officers patrolled on foot or in their own cars in Antioch and Shawnee Mission Parks. In the 1970s, the department hired its first full-time officers and purchased its first patrol cars and a state-of-the-art radio system.
By the late 70s, drug and alcohol use in the parks had become a major problem. One response of the park district was to expand the police force to nine full-time officers. A second and more important response was to reorganize the force into a Park Safety and Interpretation Division, adding educational programming to the duties. This utilization of the police force has proven very successful in educating the public, particularly young people, to value the park properties and to help preserve them.
Park programs have continued to increase in popularity, attracting 40,000 participants in 2003. Over the last 20 years, youth participation in programs has increased 21%, while for that same period the juvenile offender rate in the parks is down 69%. A survey of park visitors in 2000 testified to the success of the Johnson County Park Police, as 97% of visitors stated that they felt safe or very safe in District parks.
Our thanks to Ralph Hays, Chief Ranger, Johnson County Park and Recreation District, for information about the history of the Park Police.
--ALBUM vol. 18, no. 1 (winter 2005)