Patrolling the Wild Beat

U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers patrol some of the country’s wildest areas. Meaning their beats can take them hours away from the nearest town to respond to accidents or injuries. Or support search and rescue, enforce fire and firework restrictions, investigate wildfire ignitions. And maybe even provide lifesaving CPR.

Currently the Forest Service has 450 sworn officers patrolling 193 million acres of national forest and grasslands. On average, that works out to about a 430,000-acre beat per officer — an area just over the size of Rhode Island.

“The variety of work that we do on any given day as law enforcement, it’s a lot of responsibility,” said Tracy Perry, director of Law Enforcement and Investigations at the Forest Service.