Park Police
In the 1960's the park police began as a ranger unit with the Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District. The rangers at that time did not perform law enforcement duties, but instead focused on positive interaction with park patrons, providing interpretive services related to wildlife and horticulture, and assisted in various light maintenance duties. The 1980s and 1990s saw an increase in crime both in the Arden-Arcade community and in Fulton-El Camino's parks. In response the rangers began acting as public officers and issuing citations for violation of park rules and county ordinances. In 1999 the Head Ranger and General Manager created a plan to transition the park rangers from public officers to peace officers so the rangers could address more serious issues without having to rely solely on the patrol services of the Sacramento Sheriff's Office. On July 1, 1999, the District's Board of Directors approved this plan. Shortly thereafter, sworn peace officer/park rangers began patrolling the parks.
From 1999-2003 the park rangers, though fully sworn peace officers, did not carry firearms.
The District sought to provide an improved enforcement presence but was hesitant of appear too aggressive at that time. The three park rangers used a single vehicle combined with foot patrols to provide law enforcement services to the parks.
By 2007 Fulton-El Camino was experiencing about two car burglaries a week at Howe Park and regular incidents of random violence and other crimes were taking place. By this time, the district had seven park rangers and two vehicle. The district also began providing contract services to our first two park districts, Carmichael Recreation & Park District and Arden Manor Rrecreation & Park District. The park rangers began to focus efforts on a "broken windows" strategy with increased efforts on county ordinance enforcement. We partenered with maintenance staff to ensure all gates were locked at night, the lights were in good working order and all graffiti and homeless concerns were addressed in a timely manner.
Through these efforts, applied and reinforced over the past decade, Fulton-El Camino parks are some of the safest in County of Sacramento. As a result of the success, the Fulton-El Camino Park Police Department now serves nine other park districts, north of the American River, in Sacramento County.
The police department includes an administration division and an operations division.
The administration division includes the following:
- Chief of Police
- Captain
- Administrative Sergeant
- Patrol Sergeants
- Detective
The operations division includes the following:
- Police Officers
- Park Rangers
- Community Service Officers
