Karsten Banz

Banz describes a typical morning in his work week.

I get to work at 6 a.m., put on my uniform and I carry a lot more gear than a European police officer. So, it’s over 12 kilograms of equipment. I have a Kevlar vest, multiple flashlights, a handgun, a Taser, pepper spray, ammunition. I make sure my radio has a fresh battery. I have to go to my patrol vehicle and load that out with a rifle, a shot gun, medical bags, an AED [automated external defibrillator], and some basic things like extra water for people who might be having an emergency, and that kind of thing in the summertime. So then, once I get my vehicle all ready for patrol, I then start driving around the different park units. And we have different buildings with priceless artifacts in them, and a lot of very valuable things which can’t be replaced and also more mundane things like office equipment. And so I go around each building, make sure there is no vandalism, no signs of burglary. I make sure there’s nobody lurking around the corners looking for trouble. And a lot of times I’ll be running into the maintenance staff and also visitor service personnel. And they’ll tell me what’s going on in the parks and if anything needs my attention. And so I go park unit to park unit. I do all these various checks. A lot of times I run into California Highway Patrol and we stop and they talk and tell me if there has been any trouble in the area. And once I’ve finished these first checks of the day, a lot of times I meet with my sergeant – he usually comes around 8 a.m., and we sit down and talk about the day that’s to come and training for the week, that kind of thing, and things we have to look out for. Everything I do in the field I have to back up with a report, so there’s a certain amount of desk time. I like being outside, but like I said, you have to document everything very carefully. Like if there’s a traffic accident or I write a ticket to somebody or there’s been a medical incident, then I have to sit down and write down everything which I did, all the actions I took and what I saw in the field. And then I submit to my supervisor. So that’s kind of a typical morning.