Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (PRLEA)

Upcoming Classes: August 12, 2024

Temple University is authorized by the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct seasonal law enforcement training for park rangers.  Students who graduate from the Temple University Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (PRLEA) will have met the training requirements for certification that is required to serve as a seasonal law enforcement ranger in the National Park Service (NPS).   In addition, completion of this program may meet the required training standard for other federal, state, and local land management / park service agencies. 

 

Overview

The PRLEA is over 700 contact hours of instruction and is academically rigorous. Classes are conducted on a full-time basis, five days per week, eight hours per day, and require approximately eighteen (18) weeks to complete.  Enrollment is comprised of up to twenty-six (26) students in each class.  All students commute to training each day, although local, off-campus housing options exist.

 

The federally approved curriculum includes training in communications skills, human relations, driver training, ethics, basic tactics and self-defense, patrol procedures, federal criminal law and procedure, and firearms, among other subjects.  Students are required to successfully complete numerous written examinations and skill performance evaluations in order to graduate.  Proper demeanor, grooming, dress, punctuality, and attention to duty are a part of the training regimen.

 

Temple University’s PRLEA offers training beyond the core curriculum required by the National Park Service - Law Enforcement Training Center (NPS-LETC).  Students who graduate from the PRLEA will leave having completed thirteen weeks of physical fitness conditioning, trained with a state-of-the-art firearm simulator, and practiced with less-than-lethal force options in oleoresin capsicum aerosol (pepper spray), expandable baton, and electronic control weapons.  Students will have learned how to properly take fingerprints and will become familiarized with proper protocols for securing crime scenes.  Students will have an understanding of the sensitive subject of law enforcement suicide and learned techniques in stress management. In the final weeks of the academy, students will receive advanced instruction in the use of force, report writing, courtroom testimony, operational leadership, and professional conduct.