The Kannapolis Police Department has launched a park ranger program. Park ranger personnel will be specifically assigned to the City’s parks and greenways. The park rangers are non-sworn members of the Police Department who will be able to assist patrons of Kannapolis park facilities who have non-emergencies. If there is an emergency situation while they are on patrol, they will quickly request necessary help. The City has a number of parks and greenways, including the West Avenue Park which is in the heart of downtown.
“Our parks and greenways are some of our most frequented places in the City. Thousands of people visit our recreational facilities each week, whether it is the splash pad at Atrium Health Ballpark or a concert at Village Park. The park rangers program gives us an additional presence at these facilities to assist anyone who needs help, take incident reports or to answer routine questions that we receive. The program allows us to keep our sworn personnel available for the more typical emergency situations we have such as accidents and so forth,” said Kannapolis Police Chief Terry Spry. “This is also a program that is a gateway to becoming a police officer. The responsibilities of the job will give park rangers experiences that could lead to a career in law enforcement if they find they like the interaction and relationships we build in our positions.”
Jordan Young and Sydney Hunsucker have been hired as the park rangers. They have completed their field training and are already walking and biking their patrol routes in the parks, so stop and say hello if you see them. The new park rangers are working closely with patrol officers to further train for their responsibilities.
Sydney is a graduate of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and a resident of Cabarrus County. As a park ranger, she loves that her office is outdoors and is eager to and have a positive impact on the City’s parks.
Jordan is a recent graduate of Appalachian State University and is also a longtime resident of Cabarrus County. Young is excited to be among the first group of Park Rangers for the City of Kannapolis. She looks forward to being outside and helping others.