The 7 Investigators also obtained DNR documents that caution rangers not to “over record” incidents in the parks, so Rangers question the accuracy of the DNR claims that incidents are down 45 percent. But in 2016, union officials say the database was only being used by 60 percent of the state parks. MSEA officials say those statistics come from the department’s Law Tracker program which had 100 percent participation from Rangers in 2008. Where serious incidents occur, we have relationships with Michigan Conservation Officers and other law enforcement agencies (state and local police) to help address them." The overwhelming majority of these tickets involve things such as noise complaints, camping violations and alcohol violations. Per-capita, complaints at state parks have declined significantly in the past decade. He added in a statement that, "During the same time period, total tickets, complaints and warnings at state parks involving visitors have decreased from 48,423 in 2008 to 26,620 in 2017 – a decline of 45 percent. “The idea that state parks are dangerous places, which I think is an irresponsible thing to talk about because it’s just not true,” Golder said. Golder added that they take worker safety very seriously, but the DNR does not think rangers or the public are at risk. Incidents are down 45 percent,” says Department of Natural Resources Public Information Officer Ed Golder. Only 320 to staff all of the state parks. However, the number of Rangers has stayed the same. Thanks to the Pure Michigan ad campaign and the less expensive recreation passport, the number of visitors entering the parks jumped from 16.7 million in 2008 to 27.6 million in 2017. The Rangers want to become fully commissioned law enforcement officers. Under state law, the Department of Natural Resources has two kinds of officers: highly trained Conservation Officers who patrol rural areas and regulate game and wildlife and Park Rangers: peace officers who can make arrests if they witness a crime on state park land. "We’ve had knives pulled on them, physical assaults regularly documented." “We’ve had rangers held at gunpoint," Bailey said. He says visitors regularly mock them and disregard their directives, noting that the Rangers don’t carry guns.Īt some parks, gang activity has been documented. “If an officer loses their life, or God forbid, someone from the public loses their life because of this issue – I just can’t stomach it,” Bailey told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo.īailey says Rangers are only allowed to carry pepper spray and batons, even though many park patrons are armed. He says right now their safety is at risk because they don’t have the equipment or the staffing levels they need. “This ramped up from years of not having the proper law enforcement on that beach,” said Erik Bailey, who was working as a Ranger that day and got caught in the middle of the throng while trying to protect an unconscious park patron from the melee.īailey says he has worked as a state park ranger for 14 years, and now works with the union representing Michigan’s Rangers, the Michigan State Employees Association. It was estimated 10,000 people were on the beach for the July Fourth holiday.Įventually, neighboring police departments had to be called in and the Rangers evacuated the park. Rangers say there were only two of them scheduled to work on the day the video was taken. “Right now, we’re vastly outnumbered and they’re not afraid to turn on us,” said the Ranger. “There’s fighting over there,” a young woman told Rangers. Rangers and local law enforcement can be heard on the video questioning how they can keep up with the crowds. Video from Grand Haven State Park shows the chaos before more than 300 people broke into a fight on the packed beach last year on July 3. In just the last few weeks, two rangers have been assaulted by park visitors on Belle Isle and at Dodge 4 State Park in Waterford. State Parks Officers, also known as Rangers, tell the 7 Investigators that unruly crowds like the one that took over the beach at Grand Haven State Park in July 2017 are becoming more common at state parks. One of those officers says he knows he’s risking his job to expose this, but as he told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo, the public’s safety must come first. Those are just a few of the problems that State Park Officers say they are facing inside the parks.
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