Volunteers and Law Enforcement in the National Parks: A Typology of Roles and Functions

Volunteers perform multiple functions of law enforcement operations to keep people and property safe. This article identifies and classifies the roles and functions of volunteers serving within the National Park Service in support of law enforcement and protection. Based on an embedded case study project that included interviews with 169 volunteers and park rangers at 22 National Park Service sites, plus service as a volunteer in 3 national park locations, a typology has been introduced for volunteer roles and functions according to the training required and formalization of the role within a park. Four types of volunteers were identified: critically embedded, critically supplemental, visitor supportive, and ranger supportive. Twelve volunteer functions were identified across these four volunteer types.