Police Based Paramedics

[Operations Guy]

Those swat teams are usually sourced in from what I can understand though. By that meaning the park saying "hey we're vulnerable, and in your state please protect us". Which is reasonable obviously, so if I'm not mistaken it's the state police swat guys that do that, at least In NYS, they have a whole mountain division of guys that do that jazz. Not my cup of tea, but I know a few of them.

Maybe at smaller national parks but after 9/11 National Park Service Law Enforcement went all out on protection of what they consider "America's Gems". The LEOs in the National Park Service really pushed reform from smokey bear hats to high powered rifles. For example BLM on the boarder carry fire power reserved normally for the army. I was just reading about a division in Arizona of BLM that bought night vision, surpressors, and even have a sniper team. Also Yosemite has a SWAT team that is mostly National Park LEO. They pushed a lot in reform from an officer safety standpoint cause Forest Service, BLM, and National Park LEOs are often considered the most isolated even more than boarder Patrol.

 

[Operations Guy]

National Park Service

- Yellowstone Special Response Team (SRT)
- Western Region Special Response Team
- Special Events and Tactics Team
US Park Police - Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team

 

[Operations Guy]

To be honest I support law enforcement but it's become over bloated at the federal level. Remember according to the Obama administration memo "white, recently returning war veterans, with Ron Paul stickers on their vehicles should be approached with caution." Yeah nothing says danger to your control like Constitution loving individuals.

 

[NysEms2117]

They pushed a lot in reform from an officer safety standpoint cause Forest Service, BLM, and National Park LEOs are often considered the most isolated even more than boarder Patrol.

Who trains them? Do they just know their way around a park, and have been given t3 vests, a tactical rifle and now they are a swat team?

To be honest I support law enforcement but it's become over bloated at the federal level.

Also remember federal Leo's respond to local calls too. I work hand in hand every day with the federal guys. If somebody's goes from ny to nj or cross any state line the Feds are now involved. They have much better gear, more people at the "snap of a finger" and more often then not better training. That's the reason I'm skeptical about national parks doing their own thing. I think they need Rangers and national park le, but I know for a fact(I'm on the team) that state srt and state level swat trains just about non stop. Which is what you need for a swat team. I think some sheriffs dpt's down south and out west have swat officers that only do warrants(not 100% on that but the concept remains).

I guess where I'm getting at is personally I don't think those teams would be effective since those officers now have to know: how to be a park ranger/ park Leo be nice and help eveybody, know how to be an effective emt when help isn't coming for a good long time, how to be a swat officer(not very easy), and whatever responsibilities they have that I don't know about which are probably quite a few.

 

[CALEMT]

I think some sheriffs dpt's down south and out west have swat officers that only do warrants(not 100% on that but the concept remains).

Riverside County sheriff's SWAT team's do any "high risk" operation. Which post 9/11 includes operations on water resources within the county. We don't really have any national parks within the county (Joshua tree is the only that's partly in RIVCo).

 

[Operations Guy]

So it use to be that the National Park Service sent it's SWAT LEOs to Quantico to learn from the best at heavy handed tactics no other then the infamous stars of Ruby Ridge and Waco I give you the FBI SRT.