Email to County Executive Szalay

	
	
RESCUE OUR REGIONAL PARKS & OPEN SPACE
Grassroots Working Group
c/o Save the American River Association
4441 Auburn Blvd., Ste. H 
Sacramento, CA 95841
(916) 482-2551 
info@SARAriverwatch.org 
http://www.sarariverwatch.org/grassroots.php
 
 
Dear Mr. Szalay:
Attached for your information and use is the Final Report of the 
Public Safety & Resource Protection Task Force formed by the 
Grassroots Working Group. In summary, the report, prepared by 
retired professional law enforcement personnel, demonstrates that 
the Ranger Program provides valuable services not easily obtainable 
elsewhere and needs to be augmented to provide even a bare minimum 
level of public safety and resource protection.
You are receiving the report at this time because of rising concern 
for lack of public safety and resource protection in the Regional 
Parks and Open Space System.  While we realize the County continues 
to experience budget problems, we are hopeful that you will find the 
information useful, support the conclusions, and respond by 
implementing the recommendations contained in the attached report 
at the earliest possible time, a sentiment likely held in other 
forums such as the American River Parkway Coalition.
The Task Force consisted of Mr. Matt Powers, MS, former Deputy Chief 
of Operations, City of Sacramento Police Department and Mr. Dave 
Lydick, former Deputy Director of the Sacramento County Regional 
Parks Department and Chief Ranger. These gentlemen volunteered 
their time and experience in reviewing the matter and prepared 
the attached report which has been accepted by the Grassroots Working 
Group.  In summary, the attached Final Task Force Report:
1.         Reviews the duties and responsibilities of the Rangers 
(pages 4 Ð 10) and concludes that Rangers cannot easily be replaced 
by other public safety or law enforcement personnel and such 
replacement would require substantial retraining of the public 
safety and law enforcement personnel to enable them to adequately 
perform the duties of Park Rangers.
2.         Identifies the Park Ranger position as a real value 
(page 15). As of April 2010, the total cost (including salary, 
benefits, training, vehicle, workersÕ comp insurance, unemployment 
insurance, etc) of a Ranger at the top step of the salary schedule 
was $125,900. The equivalent cost of a County Sheriff Deputy is 
$179,200. 
3.         Recommends that memoranda of understanding be established 
to (a) memorialize current informal operating arrangements between 
the Rangers and the County Sheriff and municipal police Departments, 
and (b) provide arrangements with volunteer groups and nonprofits 
for coordination of volunteer and nonprofit nonemergency maintenance 
activities.
4.         Recommends changes in the Ranger Program needed to provide 
a bare minimum level of protection of public safety and natural 
resources for the entire Regional Parks and Open Space System 
(Pages 12 Ð 13). Implementation of these recommendations would (a) 
reinstate the illegal camping program throughout the System, (b) 
provide ranger staffing to (i) perform follow up investigations that 
divert Rangers from patrol duty and which now fall to the Rangers as 
a result of budget cuts in the Sheriff Department and (ii) provide 
problem oriented policing for the System, (c) establish a Ranger 
Reserve Program to take advantage of ranger participation in the POST 
program and increase the availability of low cost personnel who are 
looking to gain experience after POST graduation, and (d) provide at 
total of eleven (11) Rangers for routine patrol of the 15,000 acre 
System allocated as follows: one (1) Ranger would be on routine patrol 
in the Delta and South Area, two (2) Rangers would be on routine patrol 
in the North and East Areas and eight (8) Rangers would be on routine 
patrol in the American River Parkway.
5.         Recommends additional changes in the Ranger Program to 
provide required services needed to achieve a reasonable degree of 
public safety for visitors to the Regional Parks and Open Space System 
and preserve the natural resources and other assets contained in the 
System (Page 14). Implementation of these recommendations would provide 
a total of sixteen (16) Rangers for routine patrol allocated as follows: 
a total of two (2) Rangers for routine patrol in the Delta and South 
Area, four (4) Rangers for routine patrol in the North and East Areas, 
and ten (10) Rangers for routine patrol in the American River Parkway. 
These staffing numbers include the staffing identified for the bare 
minimum service level.
Table No. 1, ÒRanger Staffing SummaryÓ on page 16 of the attached report 
shows ranger staffing by classification for the minimum and required 
service levels and compares the staffing with the current FY 2010/2011 
staffing and FY 2008/2009 staffing.
Please let us know if you have any questions so that the Task Force and 
Grassroots Working Group representatives can have the opportunity to 
answer them for you at the earliest possible time.
Sincerely,
 
Bill Davis, Chair
Grassroots Working Group
 
Attachment:  Final Report of the Public Safety & Resource 
Protection Task Force, 12/29/2010
 
cc:       Sacramento County Board of Supervisors