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DCR Rangers

38K views 102 replies 36 participants last post by  BLUE BLOOD 
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#1 ·
What's the deal with them? I was at Nantasket Beach the other day, and while the state police had at least two cruisers in the area, I also saw a white pickup truck with white state plates and a shield on the door marked "DCR Ranger" or something similar.

There were two guys in it cruising a parking area, they had some type of badge emblem on their shirts and portable mics on their epaulets. The driver gave me hard looks as I was packing the car to leave, I guess 40+ guys with their wife and young children are on their watch list. :rolleyes:

My question is.....what do they do? I can understand having rangers at a historical or wilderness area to do interpretive tours, but I don't know of any such programs at Nantasket....."Here's the beach, and over there is where Paragon Park used to be". That would be the substance of the tour.

I'm not trying to put these people down (except for the one who gave me hard looks), I just honestly don't know why they're there. This is the first year I've seen them at Nantasket.
 
#3 ·
I used to work for the DCR (then MDC) several years ago when the Rangers were brought in after the SP were "asked" to leave the State House. The Rangers are broken up into 2 groups, interpretive services and patrol. The interpretive guys are out in the Blue Hills etc. giving tours and lectures while the patrol guys go around to the beaches, pools, parks etc. Mostly they are down around the Hatch Shell area when there are events.

In 1998 or so, they started dispatching the Rangers to the "problem" pools in the greater Boston area. One seasonal guy tried to, ummmmmm, exert some authority at the Chelsea pool and was eventually thrown into the deep end, much to the delight of the Latin King members in attendance. Another Ranger was on bike patrol on the Esplanade when he was beaten up and his bike was stolen and never recovered.

So, long story short, they do head out on patrol and serve as mostly a visible deterrent.
 
#5 ·
For the most part they are good at what they do when they stick to what they were hired for; park tours, interpretation, flying the flag and such. When they dable in LE that's when they get into trouble. There training is far from MCJTC but some think they have the juice to address the public as enforcement officers. I bump into them in the Worcester area (Regatta Point, Lake Park, Cochituate, Hopkington). Just tell them you saw someone step on a spotted salomander and they're gone for the day.
 
#8 ·
The DCR rangers I think can right civil fines for littering and the like. Thats about it. Maybe they can get rid of them and pay for a detail. Nantasket Beach and the like are assigned MSP details. Not like in the MDC days when it was an assigned patrol area.
 
#9 ·
rg1283 said:
The DCR rangers I think can right civil fines for littering and the like. Thats about it. Maybe they can get rid of them and pay for a detail. Nantasket Beach and the like are assigned MSP details. Not like in the MDC days when it was an assigned patrol area.
Sounds like a good gig...if they let me wear sexy-man shorts like the Lt in Reno 911 :mrgreen:
 
#12 ·
pahapoika said:
This sounds like a re-invention of the MDC Police - I am sure over the next few years they will evolve into a full service police dept

wonder if that's how the Mets first started ?
Yup..."squirrel-chasers": gray uniforms and unarmed...remember the book from your childhood, "Make Way for Ducklings"? MDC guy was the "duckling enabler".

Ditto RMV: 1974(?).

RUMOR: Apparently the EPO's are now under the DCR. There is talk of a merger between rangers/EPO's to establish a new PD. EPO's are reportedly not interested...My take: better to put the EPO's (merge) with the MSP and keep the rangers as "square badge".
 
#13 ·
MEP reports directly to the Secretary of EOEEA (Exec Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs) and is independent of DCR.

The better rumor is that the rangers will not be merged but will get police powers by being appointed Deputy Env Police Officers by MEP and remain where they are (see MGL Ch 21a S 10A, and MGL Ch 21a S 10C). And if I'm not mistaken a few rangers already have this.
 
#14 ·
dh18 said:
MEP reports directly to the Secretary of EOEEA (Exec Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs) and is independent of DCR.

The better rumor is that the rangers will not be merged but will get police powers by being appointed Deputy Env Police Officers by MEP and remain where they are (see MGL Ch 21a S 10A, and MGL Ch 21a S 10C). And if I'm not mistaken a few rangers already have this.
I don't know...thats why it's "rumors":D ...I would think that the EPO's would be a good fit with MSP...Just my opinion, it's a pretty involved speciality that could be accommodated by the SP...

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#17 ·
My kids love the beach, so I'm there probably 20 times per summer, and this is the first year I've ever seen them.

spent a few summers there as a teenager. great place when the park was open, kids from all over the south shore and those Weymouth girls..............:)

i get down there a couple over the summer. i like the end of the beach now , less riff-raff.

will keep an eye out for those Rangers :)
 
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#21 ·
USMCTrooper said:
I call BS on that statement. Maybe they hang around the lawn mowing crew trying to feel important but thats not a detail...........
Several years ago, I did see MDC Rangers on Furnace Brook Parkway (MDC/DCR road) very early in the morning (3-4am). They were either doing the detail, or decided to park their green & yellow pickup truck with the amber/red lights flashing behind the road construction crew for the hell of it.
 
#23 ·
Rangers have in the past worked "details" on the MDC ways. I believe they had to exhaust the MSP detail list first and then could open it up to rangers.

I've seen them trailing street sweepers on Memorial Drive and directing traffic when they repaved part of Morrisey Blvd. but both of those were several years ago so maybe the policy changed.
 
#24 ·
I used to work for the MDC Park Rangers. And while I worked there I thought to myself what am I doing. Most of the time your just hanging out at a pool, or at the esplanad. I was assigned with another ranger to go from boston to the New Hampshire border and lock up all the beach houses and gates on the mdc parks. i was on 3pm-11pm, and liked it. It was easy you could go wherever you wanted and had freedom. We had a chevy blazer with red,white,and orange lights. They did give us blue and red flashers for the rear for traffic purposes. But overall it wasnt bad, it was mostly boring. I still do not understand why they still have them around. For them merging with the EPO's forget about it. They wont merge with anybody. I did here possibly that they were trying to make some kinda park police or something. I really do not think that would happen either. The most I really think will happen will be that they get rid of them all together.
 
#25 ·
USMCTrooper said:
I call BS on that statement. Maybe they hang around the lawn mowing crew trying to feel important but thats not a detail...........
No BS. It was about a year ago or so, if memory serves me, but on at least two occasions I saw work crews doing god-only-knows-what on the roadway and both times there was a green MDC Park Ranger vehicle, red lights a-blazing, right behind the crew. Ranger Smith was out of the vehicle in his lime-green jacket keeping a watchful eye on the traffic.

Now, it may have been an MDC deal since, come to think of it, I haven't seen a DCR ranger in the same role, but I'm telling you I saw it. Maybe one of the troopers from the Leverett Circle barracks can enlighten us.
 
#26 ·
The DCR rangers are mostly un armed. They were created after the MDC cops became one with State Police. They have the power to detain, to write parking tickets, and even police on their properties which include streets(YES SOME REAL STREETS), parks, beaches, etc. They are cpr trained, and also must enforce many rules depending on the area. They DO NOT empty barrels because that is a maintainence job but some good natured DCR rangers will pick up trash. They try and promote safe environments, and they use a radio system that goes directly to the state house, the governors office, and they can link up with local PD, state police and EMS in a matter of moments. They are helpful, but will call in police force which, believe it or not, will respond in a matter of seconds in most cases, and are just as effective as a visual deterrent as an actual presence. The DCR cares about conservation issues as well as general law and safety issues, and will definately help with many situations. The bike patrol as well as foot and vehicle patrols serve as a way to interact with community and visually survey areas of interest
The 2007 summer is the first year in many years with full time ranger staff at Nantasket from what I understand, and they are there to assist lifeguards with safety issues, enforce drinking and leash laws as well as parking and other safety laws, and to give information to new comers to the area

All in all the rangers fall into two groups, interpretive parks rangers, and patrol enforcement rangers, each are chosen from a group of many qualified applicants, some from millitary backgrounds, active or inactive, others for communication skills, and are placed accordingly. The rangers also do security details for construction work, to assure public cognacence, and safety at times of equipment usage in highly busy and populated areas.

(my brothers best friend is a DCR ranger, and he works very hard, and is always interested in the betterment of the people at his facility. He says they have a good repor with the cops, and a few hope to become cops, but together, and with the radio dispatch through statehouse they work smoothly to be an effective source of info and safety!) I wish i was qualified!

HOLLER

MDC doesnt exist anymore, DCR is mdc, MWRA owns the water stuff, DCR has a few roads, and as far as details, DCR rangers can do them whenever they want They dont have to ask state police first. if its DCR gig, with DCR machines or property its DCR details, but obviously seniority amongst the rangers decides who gets first dibs. they can also pull you over if you are on their road. and they drive nice white trucks now, green are mostly maintainence and road crews
 
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