New King County Park Rangers to begin patrolling Saturday
Friday, June 6, 2025
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| King County Parks Ranger. This insignia will be on King County Park Rangers’ uniforms, vehicles, and mountain bikes. |
This new program comes six months after the King County Council approved funding for the new park rangers in its 2025 budget, a culminating effort to curb trailhead break-ins and supplement King County Parks-funded Sheriff’s Deputies.
Following a series of car break-ins, vandalism incidents, and public complaints over the last several years, Councilmember Dunn called for enhanced trailhead safety, and King County Parks conducted extensive community outreach to assess what the public would like to see improved in the King County Parks system of public spaces.
Participants consistently stated they wanted more official staff presence to create a safe, welcoming environment for all visitors. This outreach resulted in the King County Council approving $1.6 million in ongoing funding to establish the Park Ranger Program, fund six permanent positions, and five additional seasonal positions.
The park rangers will begin performing field work on Saturday, June 7. Rangers will be assigned across King County’s regional parks, trails, and conservation areas, with assignments based on visitor activity and community needs.
Rangers will also work in pairs for backcountry and bike patrols to ensure coverage of King County’s vast outdoor spaces. Visitors will be able to easily recognize park rangers by their distinctive uniforms and the King County Parks insignia on their vehicles and mountain bikes.
The Park Ranger Program is part of a broader approach by King County Parks to improve visitor safety and accessibility. Along with operations, maintenance, and programming staff, community partners, and the King County Sheriff’s Office, the rangers will foster positive interactions through community engagement, education, and voluntary compliance with park rules.
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4 comments:
I'd be ok with Proud Boys out and about on bicycles to report break-ins, vandalism, etc in parks - not to "arrest" people but to watch, photo, and report. Give them something useful to do!
Armed? Powers to arrest or fine? Part of King County police? If not what good are they!?
Looked at the job description. Congratulations fellow taxpayers you have the privilege of paying between $36-$52 dollars an hr to have people with zero power ride their bikes around King County parks basically as inclusive greeters. They are getting paid out of the parks levy that passed awhile ago. Never fear they are armed with a de-escalation class they are required to take.
Seems like a good, cost-effective measure to reduce petty crime at trailheads. It's not a perfect solution that will end crime forever and bring about world peace, but it doesn't need to be.
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