The Las Cruces Park Rangers have completed training and have been working in the field for almost two months. So far, the rangers have helped patrol the parks and even help people get medical attention.
Park Ranger Brian Perez and his partner are nearly two months into their jobs as rangers as they patrol around Youngs Park. During one of their shifts, they bounce around to multiple parks around the city chicking in with those in the community and solving any concerns that are brought up.
Perez said that this level of interaction on a day to day basis is a great improvement from before.
“Before, patrol had to come out here and be in their unit and keep an eye out and keep a unit out here just so people can see them and now I think that the people see us and the patrol can have the parks out of their way. Of course, there are calls at parks that we cannot take but even then we have limited authority so we can do some things at the park,” Perez said.
While out on patrol, park rangers can issue citations trespassing violations but their main job is prevention against any wrongdoing. In addition to this, rangers can also serve as a resource for park visitors and call medical services when needed as shown by The City of Las Cruces during one of their episodes of ‘Bridging the Badge.’
“I think the unhoused is a big issue but we try to not just tell them that you cannot be at the park and kick them out. We try to connect them to resources. We have advocates in the department. I know a lot of people do not know about our advocates but when people want help and they really seem like they want to change, we call them out and they give them all of the information about resources and that is one positive thing because I feel like people who want help can get help in the city and I want them to know if you really want help, the city has the resources to help you,” Perez said.
In total, the city has four park rangers that patrol all city owned parks.
Las Cruces police officer Lazaro Palos helped train the rangers and said that their impact is already being felt.
“It has helped a lot. It has freed up officers that typically spend a lot more time here. They still conduct frequent patrols but the fact that we have the park rangers that can designate more time is great,” Palos said.
The safety of parks in Las Cruces have been a hot topic since the shooting at an unsanctioned car meet at Young Park that left three people dead and 15 injured.
While not the only reason for the rangers, Palos said that this highlighted the need for more park safety.
“That was one of the big pushes for it. That was the prime example of not having somebody on the ground that would observe and report anything that was going on. I feel like that expedited the whole process,” Palos said.
Much of the ranger's job includes interactions with the public. Perez said that he enjoys that part of the job and hopes to make the parks safer moving into the future.
“If you see us out here just talk to us. Change does not happen right away but I do believe that change is happening and with a little bit of patience it is going to be noticeable,” Perez said.
According to Palos, the police department may add more rangers in the future.
