PRESS RELEASE: NYS Park Police Seek Indication of Agency’s Future
Monday, June 14, 2021NYS Park Police Seek Indication of Agency’s Future in State Police Superintendent’s Senate Testimony
Budget Cuts, Staffing Levels and Attrition Threatens Future of New York State Park Police
(Albany, NY) June 14, 2021 – For the past several years the New York State Park Police have been operating under a veil of uncertainty resulting from budget cuts, diminishing staffing levels, and transfer of operational control to the New York State Police.
The recent confirmation hearing testimony of New York State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen offered little assurance to Park Police Officers as to the future of their agency and whether they will be absorbed by the State Police or not.
The Park Police are New York’s oldest state law enforcement agency, having been founded in 1885 to patrol Niagara Falls and protect its visitors. Today the Park Police’s numbers are dwindling from a 44% attrition rate over the past five years, with 30 officers leaving in the last year alone and another 10-15 officers expected to depart this Fall – leaving the Park Police’s future in question.
During his recent state senate confirmation hearings State Police Superintendent Bruen spoke highly of the men and women of the Park Police and the strides he is making to facilitate integrated operations between the two agencies. A number of questions however remain unanswered including whether the future holds a merger of the two agencies and whether the Park Police in the meantime will continue to operate their own training academy. The Park Police have not held an Academy Class since 2019, posing a significant challenge to countering attrition and revitalizing this vital public safety organization with a new generation of officers focused on, and representative of, the communities they serve.
“The loss of the Park Police would have a devastating effect on the people of New York state who visit our majestic state parks with the knowledge that our Officers are not only there to keep them safe, but to enhance their experience as well,” said Manny Vilar, PBA Vice-President and New York State Park Police Sergeant. “Park Police are not only our Parks’ law enforcement officers, but also ambassadors of the Empire State and have been leaders in the use of the very policing strategies our elected leadership is calling for today including de-escalation and non-confrontational approaches with the public. For this, and many other reasons the Park Police are some of the most respected law enforcement officers in the state by residents, elected officials and public interest groups alike.”
One concern of Park Police Officers is how a merger would impact their seniority and compensation. In the past when State Parkway Police and Capitol Police Officers transferred into the State Police, they maintained their seniority and compensation. A key point of contention with the proposed merger is it would strip Park Police Officers of their seniority and treat them as new Troopers fresh out of the State Police Academy for purposes of compensation. Park Police Officers would also be required to attend and complete the State Police Academy despite having already met comparable, and in some cases more extensive, training requirements at the Park Police Academy. For senior Park Police Officers there also remains an age barrier for transferring to the State Police, with a waiver defeated as part of a previous year’s budget. This proposed disparity in treatment from previous mergers is detrimental to Officer morale.
Even if an agreement could be reached that addressed Park Police Officer’s concerns the question still remains - could the New York State Police, or any law enforcement agency for that matter, maintain the mission specialization of the Park Police and provide New Yorkers with the exceptional outdoor recreational experiences that the New York state parks system is renowned for?
PBA Secretary and Park Police Officers Director, Troy Caupain, said, “There is simply no agency that can fully replicate the capabilities of the New York State Park Police, nor the willingness to carry out certain patrols such as the waters of Niagara Falls. There are ways to assimilate some of these capabilities into another agency, but one must ask the question whether the dedication to the mission will remain the same. The residents of New York state have counted on the Park Police to be their protectors for nearly a century-and-a-half as generations explored our state’s unparalleled outdoor spaces. The people do not want the Park Police to fade away, and our elected leaders should hear their voices and preserve one of our most trusted institutions.”
James Hy, Director of the Park Police Superior Officers Association for PBANYS, concluded, “The number of life-saving interventions and rescues performed by Park Police Officers across the state is remarkable. They occur because these highly trained Officers are stationed at our parks as opposed to responding to an incident – very possibly hours or days later. That’s simply irreplaceable.”
ABOUT: Established in 2011, the Police Benevolent Association of New York State (PBA of New York State), is a law enforcement labor union representing the interests of approximately 1,200 members of the New York State Agency Police Services Unit (APSU). The PBA of New York State is the exclusive bargaining agent for the New York State University (SUNY) Police, the New York State Environmental Conservation Police, the New York State Park Police, and the New York State Forest Rangers. Our members police and protect New York State’s public universities and colleges; state parks and historic sites; and they enforce state laws and protect our lands and forests and ensure environmental safety and quality throughout the state.
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