Park Ranger I

Compensation Range

$26.67 - $36.19

Please note: This job opening may close earlier than the stated date, due to high candidate volume. If interested, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Who We Are

At the High Point Police Department, we are committed to protecting our city and building relationships with our community. Our team includes over 300 officers and professional staff who are passionate about serving others.

As a proactive, data-driven agency, we take pride in being nationally recognized for excellence. Our department offers some of the finest in-house training in the country, along with numerous opportunities for growth, development, and career advancement.

A rewarding career awaits you here. Join our team and play a vital role in keeping High Point a safe place to live, work, and visit.

What We Offer

Education

The High Point Police Department offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. We also offer generous benefit package for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed monthly pension upon retirement, vested after 5 years of service
• 401K and 457B Retirement Plans
• Paid Vacation and Sick Time
• Paid Holidays
• Tuition Reimbursement Plan
• Competitive medical, dental, and vision plans effective day one

What You'll Do

A rewarding career awaits you here. Join our team as a Park Ranger I, where you will play a vital role in the safety and security of all the City of High Point Parks and Recreation attractions and locations spread throughout the city. This is a hands-on position that allows the applicant to work independently as well as in a team setting to accomplish the goals set forth for the position.

Essential Tasks & Responsibilities

• Engages in law enforcement patrol functions that include such things as answering calls for service, proactive patrolling by vehicle, boat, bicycle, and/or on foot.
• Exercises independent judgment in determining when there is reasonable suspicion to detain, when probable cause exists to search and arrest and when force may be used and to what degree.
• Operates a law enforcement vehicle during both the day and night under conditions including emergency situations involving speeds in excess of posted limits, in congested traffic and in unsafe road conditions caused by factors such as fog, smoke, rain, ice and snow.
• Effects an arrest, forcibly, if necessary, uses handcuffs and other restraints, subdues resisting suspects using maneuvers and weapons and resorts to the use of hands, feet and/or other weapons in self-defense.
• Gathers information in criminal investigations by interviewing and obtaining the statements of victims, witnesses, suspects, and confidential informers.
• Conducts visual and audio surveillance for extended periods of time.
• Pursues fleeing suspects and performs rescue operations which may involve quickly entering and exiting law enforcement patrol vehicles, lifting carrying and dragging heavy objects, climbing over, and pulling up oneself over obstacles, jumping down from elevated surfaces, climbing through openings, jumping over obstacles, ditches, and streams, crawling in confined areas, balancing on uneven or narrow surfaces, and using body force to gain entrance through barriers.
• Assists with special events and performs public relations activities, responds to inquiries, and assists park visitors, communicates effectively with people, including juveniles, by giving information and directions, mediating disputes, and advising of rights and processes.
• Collects, records, and transports revenue for deposit.
• Prepares investigative and other reports, including sketches, uses appropriate grammar, symbols, and mathematical computations.
• Communicates effectively and coherently over law enforcement radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications.
• Demonstrates communication skills in court, educational and informational programs, and other formal settings.
• Endures verbal and mental abuse when confronted with the hostile views and opinions of suspects and other people encountered in an antagonistic environment.
• Performs rescue functions at accidents, emergencies, and disasters to include directing traffic for long periods of time, administering emergency medical aid, lifting, dragging, and carrying people away from dangerous situations and securing and evacuating people from particular areas.
• Performs public relations activities, responds to inquiries, and assists park visitors.
• Detects and collects evidence and substances that provide the basis of criminal offenses and infractions and that indicate the presence of dangerous conditions.
• Loads, unloads, aims, and fires from a variety of body positions handguns, shotguns, and other agency firearms under conditions of stress that justify the use of deadly force and at levels of proficiency prescribed in certification standards.
• Reads and comprehends legal and non-legal documents, including the preparation and processing of such documents as citations, affidavits, and warrants.
• Performs searches of people, vehicles, buildings, and large outdoor areas which may involve feeling and detecting objects, walking for long periods of time, detaining people, and stopping suspicious vehicles.
• Processes arrested suspects to include taking their photographs and obtaining a legible set of inked fingerprints impressions.
• Processes and transports prisoners and committed mental patients using handcuffs and other appropriate restrains.
• Extinguishes small fires by using a fire extinguisher and other appropriate means.
• Completes yearly state required law enforcement training and keeps abreast of changing laws which effect law enforcement.
• Ensures that all work is performed in accordance with OSHA and City Safety Standards and Policies.
• May be required to perform other tasks and/or administrative duties not listed.

NOTE: The successful applicant must be able to perform ALL the above functions, unassisted, and at a pace and level of performance consistent with the actual job performance requirements. This requires a high level of physical ability to include vision, hearing, speaking, flexibility, strength, etc.

Qualifications

Minimum Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma or Qualified GED
• Must be able to meet state requirements for Basic Law Enforcement certification and North Carolina Training and Standards Commission.
• Must be 21 years of age.
• Must have thorough knowledge of local, state, and federal laws.
• Must be able to act and respond without direct supervision and use independent judgement in meeting emergencies.
• Must have resourcefulness and sound judgement during emergencies, demonstrated integrity and tact.
• Valid North Carolina Driver's License

Physical/Mental Requirements

Physical Requirements

Hearing/Speaking - Expressing and/or receiving information by means of spoken word are both necessary to converse with internal and external customers including co-workers, citizens, and applicants.

Both necessary to converse with other employees, supervisor, and the general public in the enforcement of federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.

Visual Abilities - the ability to perceive via eyesight is required for this position.

• Acuity, far - clarity of vision at 20 feet or more. Must be able to see from a distance when administering and observing employment tests, operating a motor vehicle, or addressing an audience.
• Acuity, near - clarity of vision at 20 inches or less. Must be able to see work-related business documents close at hand.
• Depth perception - Three-dimensional vision and the ability to judge distance and space relationships.
• Field of Vision - the area that can be seen up and down or to the right or left while eyes are focused on one point. Must be able to see a wide span of area.
• Accommodation - Must be able to adjust the eye lens to glance quickly.
• Color Vision - ability to identify and distinguish colors. Important in identifying people and vehicles.

Physical Strength - degree of physical demands typically associated with this position.

• Medium to Heavy Work
• Exerting various amounts of force to restrain a person or persons, depending on the size(s), weight(s), and condition(s) of the person(s)
• Physical demand requirements are varied with the different tasks.
• Work requires walking, standing, climbing, bending, stooping, jumping, lifting, carrying, dragging, pulling, pushing, reaching, grasping, kneeling, crawling, balancing, and sitting. There is significant use of hands, arms, feet, and legs.
• Type of Physical Demands
• Reaching - Extending the hand(s) or arm(s) in any direction.
• Handling - Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hand(s).
• Fingering - Picking, pinching or otherwise working with fingers primarily rather than the entire hand or arm.

Mental Activity Requirements

Reasoning

• Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to work tasks and practical situations and requests made by supervisor or members of the public; to comprehend and respond to a variety of situations in an expedient manner, possibly under emergency and dangerous conditions. Good judgment is essential as often the officer must make a split-second decision, independent of direct supervision, which can mean the difference between life and death.

Mathematics Ability

• Using arithmetic and/or statistics to prepare required reports, figure distance measurements, miles per hour stopping time, etc.

Language Ability

• The ability to speak, read and write the English Language pre required for this position.

Environmental Conditions

Physical Surroundings

• The Park Ranger is subject to outside environmental conditions: Exposed to the various weather conditions and temperatures.
• The Park Ranger is required to work in extremely hot weather and extremely cold weather as well as in rain, sleet, snow, ice, fog, smoke, and windstorms.
• Combining the type of work performed with the weather conditions, the Park Ranger should be one who can work constantly using eyes to observe activities occurring in the surrounding area, while remaining alert to the weather conditions and the potential danger of the job.

Hazards

• The Park Ranger will be exposed to trees, grass, shrubs, chemicals, and fertilizers used on the grounds, lake water, bees, and insects. Work is subject to final standards of OSHA on blood borne pathogens.

Machinery/Tools/Work Aids/Other Equipment

• Motor vehicle, boat, various firearms, restraining devices, flashlight, fingerprinting equipment, computers, cameras, breathalyzer machine, bicycle, handheld two-way communications radio, telephone, copier, recording devices, pens, pencils, manuals, Personnel Resolution, rules and regulations and ordinances.

The work location of this job will be 1730 Westchester Dr High Point, North Carolina.

Our Commitments

The City of High Point is dedicated to fostering a work environment that values individuals from all backgrounds and seeks to attract and retain the most qualified partners in service to the citizens of High Point. As an at-will employer, the City allows employees to terminate their employment, or be terminated at any time, with or without cause, as long as it is not prohibited by law.

The City of High Point is committed to classifying and compensating its employees fairly for the work they do, weighing both the internal capabilities and the external market. While the job description is not intended to and does not create a contract of employment, we are excited to use this "living document" as a guide for managing performance and positions to ensure job descriptions are reflective of the current work required by the incumbent or expected by any candidate to whom an offer of employment is extended.

The City of High Point is committed to providing a safe, comfortable working environment for all employees. To that end, we are proud to comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, as well as make reasonable accommodations to candidates and employees as we are able in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Candidates selected for employment must undergo (a.) a drug screening, in accordance with the City's drug and alcohol policy and (b.) a background screening to determine whether there is any current, pending, or previous charge, conviction or other infraction deemed incompatible with service in the capacity for which the candidate is being hired. In lieu of or in addition to background screening, candidates selected for employment in a position that requires working with children in any capacity must be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal history record check conducted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Certain positions are considered so critical to the health and safety of others that a candidate cannot be placed in any such position without passing a pre-placement physical exam. The City offers employment to successful candidates conditioned upon the City's receipt of satisfactory results from all required screenings, checks, and exams, as applicable.