La’Keisha Harris: Law enforcement park ranger

Article and Audio by Greg Linch and Photos by Johnfrank Dieguez

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Harris watches as patrons enjoy their day at the park.

Everglades National Park is a vast and diverse environment.

La’Keisha Harris didn’t know much about the National Park Service before college.

But that changed one day after she walked through the Alabama State student union and encountered a recruiter.

At first it was merely a summer job, working as a dispatcher at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Then, it turned into paid internship at Everglades National Park in her home state of Florida.

Now, a decade later, Harris is a ranger at Everglades, working in law enforcement.

And there’s never a typical day, she says, but there are some routines.

IN A DAY’S WORK

Harris starts each day with a simple commute, which would seem like an oxymoron in South Florida. She avoids heavy traffic and accidents because she lives in housing near her office, which is provided to rangers by the Park Service. NPS takes a small portion of her salary for the living space and all she has to do is furnish it.

After spending some time in the office, Harris hits the road in her police cruiser – one of the newest models at the Pine Island ranger station. She patrols the roads looking for speeders, drunk drivers and other violators.

One time she clocked a driver going 89 miles per hour.

“They don’t see anybody and sometimes they don’t think we’re out here,” she says. But they are, making sure high speeds don’t endanger pedestrians, cyclists or other drivers.

When it’s time for lunch, Harris goes home since she lives at the park.

Then it’s back to the office, catching up with paperwork and going out on calls, if there are any. For instance, Harris sometimes responds to complaints of a visitor making too much noise or a generator running at night.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Although there are similarities to local police work, Harris’ job is different due to the park setting, which involves protecting natural resources.

Wild animals, be they winged, water-bound or land-dwellers, are always nearby as Harris drives or walks around the park. Strolling along the Anhinga Trail, she often spots her favorite creature: the alligator.

“To me, they’re just so unique,” she says. “I give them a lot of respect.”

Standing by her favorite part of the trail, she says, “You’ll be amazed what you hear and see around here,” pointing out several gators in the area.

Different rangers have different backgrounds to deal with the various situations that arise in the park, Harris notes. For instance, her specialty is law enforcement and her partner’s is wildlife.

The rangers each play to their strengths and are one cohesive group.

“It’s like a tag team,” she says. “We’re all in law enforcement, but each person has their expertise.”

Though wildlife is not her specialty, working in the Everglades has helped her become familiar with a number species, and visitors sometimes approach her with questions:

What kind of fish is that? Or, what kind of bird is that?

She poses questions as well, such as when there is an educational group exploring the park.

“What school are you guys from?” asks Harris, who grew up in Miami.

From these and other interactions it’s no surprise that the visitors appreciate the rangers.

“I think, for the most part, the reaction is always good. They love to see us out here,” Harris says. “It gives them a sense of security knowing that we are around.”

Particularly impressed are the younger visitors, who she always enjoys meeting.

“A lot of [kids] see me and say, ‘Ranger! Ranger! Can I take a picture?’ ” Harris says, imitating the voice of an eager child.

Besides patrolling and protecting resources, another part of her job entails educating visitors about the rules of the park and checking to make sure everyone is well.

Driving through the camping area on one occasion, Harris stops to chat with a husband and wife team of visitor use assistants – volunteers who assist other visitors. The three talk as if they were old friends, with the couple explaining what happened when a python crawled into a car and showing pictures of the nighttime excitement.

Harris sometimes deals with wildlife troubles, but most of the time the human-animal situation is quiet.

And this calm helps give her a certain sense when on the job.

“It’s a feeling of being at ease; a feeling of peace, in a way,” Harris says. “Being able to just feel the air, see the wildlife. A lot of times it gives me a sense of peace.

“Peace is just smooth and it’s natural,” she continues. “If you’re going through a lot at home and you come here, to me, this puts you at peace. It just eases your mind. Especially if you’re out walking the trial, listening to the sounds or even if it’s the wind, it could be a nice day.”

BACKGROUND

Harris’ tenure with the Park Service began on the other side of the radio, originally being employed as a dispatcher from 1998 to 2001 at Rocky Mountain and Everglades. She worked when she could during school, namely during the summer months and while on breaks.

As a student, she worked as a part of Student Educational Employment Program, which includes the Student Temporary Employment Program and Student Career Experience Program.

Harris explains that STEP makes it easier for a government employer to hire an employee full-time after he or she works a certain number of hours. Regarding the SCEP, she says participants work but don’t get credit hours for school; but it’s an easier way to get into government work.

After graduating from Alabama State, Harris went to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for four and a half months in 2001. Once she finished at the academy and returned to Everglades, she did on-the-job training with another ranger.

The park also offered fire fighting and first-responder courses, the latter of which she added to her skill set.

Harris spent her first few years in law enforcement at Flamingo, patrolling the waters and roads before coming to the Pine Island station in 2004.

While at Flamingo, Harris went back to school to get a master’s degree in criminal justice at Florida International University and now teaches there as an adjunct professor. She also works occasionally as a substitute teacher for Miami-Dade public schools.

But her true passion lies with her job at the park.

“I love it because I love the law enforcement part,” Harris says. “You can put me anywhere as long as there’s law enforcement.”