State Parks seeks applicants for park police officers

Press Release, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) is looking for the next class of Park Police Officer Trainees committed to protecting the State Park system’s record 79 million annual visitors.

In 2024 New York State Parks will be celebrating 100 years of providing outstanding recreational and cultural experiences to state residents and visitors from throughout the world. The Park Police will play a critical role in the year-long Centennial celebration as they continue to serve visitors and offer the safest beaches, trails, golf courses, pools, picnic areas, and entertainment venues in the nation.

Applications for Park Police Officer Trainee positions will be accepted until Sept. 30. Click here for more information regarding the application process, agility testing, screening requirements and written exam.

“We are searching for the next group of recruits who have a calling for both state service and a love of the outdoors,” said State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid. “Additionally, our New York State Park Police is among the first agencies in the nation committed to the growing movement of 30×30 – the initiative to reach 30 percent of women in recruiting classes by 2030, as we aim to be representative of the entire state. Advancing women in policing is critical to improving public safety.

“Our Park Police work hard every day to protect our millions of visitors and utilize a special training to respond to all types of situations including controlling crowds at our concert venues, employing drones to search for sharks in the waters off Long Island, conducting search and rescue operations, and patrolling the state’s waterways and snowmobile trails.”

This past May, our State Park Police Academy graduated 32 new officers who have been since assigned to serve New York’s State Parks and Historic Sites. State Parks maintains a welcoming environment and offers new recruits hands-on training and classroom education in Criminal Procedure Law, Penal Law, Vehicle and Traffic Law, Park and Recreation Law and criminal investigations.

Recruits will also receive training in firearms, first response, snowmobile and ATV operation, emergency vehicle operation, and a wide variety of other law enforcement-related topics and skills. Then, Academy graduates reinforce what was learned in the classroom through field training during the first months of their new assignments.

Park Police officers are highly trained specialists dedicated to the New York State Parks’ core values of P.R.I.D.E.: Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Excellence. They provide New York State residents and visitors with safe and enjoyable recreational experiences at State Parks and Historic Sites.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which saw a record 79.5 million visits in 2022.