Operations jurisdiction* State of New York, USA Legal jurisdiction New York | Population 19,297,729 | |
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Size 54,555 square miles (141,300 km) General nature Law enforcementCivilian police | ||
The New York State Forest Rangers are law enforcement officials of the Division of Forest Protection of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Forest Rangers are New York State police officers, authorized to enforce New York State Laws, Rules and Regulations, and carry firearms.
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Overview
Forest Rangers fulfill the role of police officers, wildland firefighters and wilderness first responders. Their duty is to protect the state's forests and the people who use them from danger. Forest Rangers patrol 4,300,000 acres (17,000 km2) of Department-administered public lands and easements by vehicle, boat, ATV, snowmobile, aircraft, bicycle, foot, skis or snowshoes. Each ranger is required to reside within the ranger district in which she/he is assigned but emergencies and special events will require them to work anywhere and at any time. Rangers are often asked to assist other agencies with complex emergency or law enforcement incidents that have occurred in or near a forested area. Since New York state consists of 18,600,000 acres (75,000 km2) of forested lands, rangers are busy year-round.
The New York State Forest Ranger force is composed of 134 forest rangers, lieutenants, captains and directors stationed at locations across the state, with the greatest numbers located in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the New York State Forest Rangers, 1 ranger has died in the line of duty.