ProRanger Blog

My last day working on the day shift at INDE was Tuesday, and I started working nights on Saturday. I was initially intimidated working day shift because there were many people. Fortunately, I was able to navigate day-to-day routines thanks to all-day shift rangers. I will utilize the techniques and strategies for my remaining time at INDE (and beyond). Here are a few important things I learned during the day shift.  Park rangers face many perils throughout their tenure. One of the most important aspects of being a Law Enforcement (LE) ranger for the National Park Service is the ability to carry a firearm. Title 54, the General Authorities Act, allows commissioned park rangers to carry firearms. A gun is a dangerous weapon that must be handled in a particular way to avoid unintentional discharge(s). For that reason, there are 4 (four) rules every ranger must know to utilize a firearm safely.  The rules are: Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction....

Good morning, good afternoon, and good night, This week was very odd, to say the least. Independence (and Philadelphia) experienced a thick haze of smoke. Canada was the progenitor of the miasma inflicted on us. The good vibes prevalent in the park were replaced with melancholic ire. Many visitors wore masks due to the poor air quality. Overall, the wildfire from our northern neighbor reverted the city to a pandemic-era environment.  The fog cleared a few days later, and things returned to normal. There were a few events on the docket. One was for the Armed Forces recruitment event. A plethora of soldiers from different ranks were in People's Plaza.  In addition, a prayer for the Islamic Heritage Festival was held across the street next to the Visitor Center.  The Islamic Heritage Festival's flyer said there would be a parade on June 10th at 1pm. The parade would start at 1 N Independence Mall and end at Penn's Landing. Upon my arrival, I did not see anything resembling a...

This week was particularly interesting in contrast to last week.  For one, two big events occurred. The first event was recreation for Memorial Day, and the second was a pride parade. From my experience, people usually have family gatherings or visit a grave site of a deceased veteran. So I assumed there would not be a big turnout at INDE on Memorial Day. Inversely, INDE saw a great number of tourists come through. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred about crime.  The big event was a reenactment and flag-raising taking place outside Independence Hall. The reenactment took about half an hour, and visitors enjoyed it. I attended court with Ranger Morales on Tuesday.  Ranger Morales was summoned to court because he witnessed a crime a while ago. Unfortunately, his case was not the only one that had a hearing. Twenty (20) cases needed to be heard by a judge, and the case Rager Morales is part of was the last one. On the bright side, I got to experience court proceedings for ...