I was recently honoured to be asked to address a conference in California. The conference was jointly organised by California State Park Rangers Association (CSPRA) and Park Rangers Association of California ( PRAC). I agreed that I would deliver a lunch time address on changing cultures within the police service and I was asked to stress the diversity of policing parks in California. What we (in the UK) would immediately understand as diversity would mean underrepresented or minority groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or gypsy travellers. However, in this instance it also meant the policing of national parks by a group of professional people that included police officers, fire officers, archaeologists, historians and maintenance people.
At first I was unclear as to how these people worked together, however, as the conference in the stunning Yosemite National Park unfolded it became apparent that the groups of people are bound together by two objectives. Firstly, to ensure the legacy of a parks complex that will be accessible for generations of people and secondly, to ensure the safety of the people who make use of the park as long or short term visitors. Throughout the conference I heard stories of how the fire officers had worked with police officers who had worked with maintenance staff and historians. There was no evidence of people working in silos or putting up barriers to collaboration – they just worked together in a wonderful environment; an environment that they were very protective of.
This made me think of how committed police officers in the UK are to the environment that they work in. True, most do not have the opportunity to work in such a beautiful expanse, but the commitment to the parks was perhaps exemplified by the fact that there were a number of people who remained a part of this extended family despite the fact that they have retired. That is certainly something that is uncommon in policing in urban areas in the UK and, I would venture, in the US.
In order to ensure the continued legacy, one supervising ranger and fire management officer successfully applied for funding to allow young people who are on the edge of a difficult future to become trainee fire officers for a year. What was particularly impressive was the discipline that the young people followed. Any member of staff that paraded for duty in an unshaved or unkempt state was immediately subjected to a penalty. This may sound a bit draconian, however, the young people that I met were extremely smart, courteous and knowledgeable. Perhaps more importantly, they were committed to their role and had a very trusting relationship with their boss.
There were also stories of retired people planning trips to national parks around the globe to learn about other places of natural beauty and how they are managed. This sharing of knowledge and experience is seen as crucial if we are to allow people to enjoy our parks for years to come.
Finally, there were workshops that covered areas such as animal care, first aid and safety within the parks, but the underlying theme of the conference related to leadership and building relationships. Presentations by the wildly enthusiastic Jim Brady touched on how people can manage their managers. Much of the content used accepted academic models and touched on the importance of ‘followship’ as much as the importance of ‘leadership’. Jim used his vast experience of policing parks and managing people to get his message across in a somewhat unique style that was appreciated by all.
It was a reassuring and pleasing to see a true multi agency approach working together to attain a single objective. There were no targets or performance indicators; no egotistical tub thumping or machismo. The glue that binds all of these people together is a willingness to ensure that these areas of natural beauty remain unspoiled and open for people to enjoy.
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