One of the most dangerous places to be a law enforcement officer is inside the nation's national parks and preserves. Rangers work with little backup, in remote territories and face numerous dangers. While on patrol on West Mountain in Hot Springs National Park, U.S. National Park Ranger James A. Cary was murdered by bootleggers. His murder marked a historic event: he was the first U.S. national park ranger to ever be killed in the line of duty.

“From 2000 to 2010, a national park ranger was more likely to be assaulted in the line of duty than any other federal officer, including those who work for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Secret Service, and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Add fatal accidents involving natural disasters and plane crashes, and a park ranger is up to 12 times more likely to die on the job than a special agent for the FBI.” -Andrea Lankford reporting for Backpacker.com







Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2005/06/18/4709159/the-dangers-of-being-a-ranger
https://www.nps.gov/hosp/learn/historyculture/james-a-cary.htm
https://www.backpacker.com/stories/ranger-confidential-secrets-of-the-national-park-rangers/
https://www.treehugger.com/hot-springs-national-park-facts-5189877
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Springs_National_Park
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/james-alexander-cary-12010/
https://www.nps.gov/hosp/learn/news/memorial-to-ranger-james-a-cary.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68403440/james-alexander-cary
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/may/30/hot-springs-honors-slain-park-ranger-20/
https://www.hotsr.com/news/2017/may/17/national-park-service-ranger-discusses-/
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=211011

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