INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Part Two
Who’s Keeping You Safe in Our Parks?
MOBILE Al.
By Rick McCann
BlueRAMMedia.com
February 19, 2025
Mobile County has many parks within the county park system, including developed parks, greenways, and undeveloped parks.
Developed parks include Bayfront Park, Chickasabogue Park, and West Mobile County Park.
The county also has 13 undeveloped parks.
Other parks include Escatawpa Hollow Park & Campground, River Delta Marina and Campground, Mobile County Sportsplex, Mobile County Aquatic Center, and Mobile County Soccer Complex.
Chickasabogue Park is the largest park in the county system.
It was recently revamped and just reopened this week.
The park has about 17 miles of hiking and biking trails, a disc golf course, sports fields, a boat launch, RV campgrounds, a playground and a beach.
This park employs county rangers to keep the park and its visitors safe according to a spokesperson for Mobile County. However, not all Mobile County parks have physical security during operating hours.
Mobile County parks and recreation facilities encompass over 1,200 acres of beautifully designed properties that offer scenic viewing of Mobile Bay and other waterways, fishing, hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, disc golf, picnic areas, and ball fields.
Currently, there are over 66 parks in the Mobile area system and how visitors to these parks are kept safe varies from one park to another.
Law enforcement officials referred us to the parks department and they in turn referred us back to area law enforcement agencies. Physical visits to several parks did not reveal any signs of rangers or security officers on patrol nor were there any signs announcing that they were present.
The third type of park found in the U.S. is managed through the state park system. These parks are often spread throughout the state offering a variety of outdoor activities and tranquility.
Alabama has some of the most beautiful state parks in the nation offering everything from rustic mountain views to the white sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast.
Twenty-one state parks covering more than 45,300 acres offer everything from camping, boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, and more.
The diverse offerings of each park range from Rustic Cabins to chalets, and beach resort facilities.
Some parks also have caves with spectacular features.
Alabama State Parks are well protected and have full-time law enforcement rangers that are fully sworn state officers and have the same authority as any state police officer.
These officers are not game wardens or security guards.
State rangers patrol the parks, conduct investigations and traffic enforcement, respond to emergencies within the park and they can also respond outside of the park as needed because they are state peace officers.
The Gulf State Park located in Gulf Shores employs Alabama State Parks Law Enforcement officers to protect the property, the staff and the visitors and they stay busy, especially during spring break and the summer months when tens of thousands of people flood the area and the state park.
These law enforcement officers also respond to medical emergencies, disturbances, motor vehicle accidents, fires, lost people, and an array of calls year-round.
Ultimately, your safety and security start with you.
Understand your surroundings, and what the safety issues might be.
Stay alert and be vigilant even if there seems to be no one else around.
Besides people who might harm you, there is plenty of wildlife who may see you as a meal. Some of our parks do have bears, many have poisonous snakes, bobcats, coyotes and although mountain lions have not been reported in more than thirty years, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few that are living in the region.
Remember that many parks do not have cellphone service. When entering the park, stop at a ranger’s station or the park office and inquire about phone service, get a map and take a compass with you.
Always be prepared for inclement weather even when the sun is shining and always be prepared for whatever emergency might arise while in the back woods.
In Part Three, we will turn our attention to the US Federal Parks System.
Copyright 2025 Blue RAM Media. All rights reserved.
