Portland Hiring More Full-Time Park Rangers

PORTLAND, Ore. — Currently, 25 full-time park rangers help to keep the peace in Portland parks.  That number will go up to nearly 60 by the end of summer.

“We should have at least 2 to 4 park rangers in all sects of the city in day shift and our swing shift hours,” Vicente Harrison, Health, Safety and Emergency Manager for Portland Parks and Rec told FM News 101 KXL.

A dozen park rangers have been hired recently in the first round of hiring for the summer.

Harrison says there’s a misconception that park rangers will assist police with gun issues.  They will not be responding to calls throughout the city.

“Our jurisdiction is solely within the parks.  We have 12,000 acres of park land,” Harrison added.

Rangers will be armed with pepper spray, high-frequency radios and possibly high-grade vests to protect them from knife wounds that may also be bulletproof.  They go through de-escalation training yearly.