I don’t really understand the position you seem to have that this is an all or nothing question. Armed cops in Philly are largely useless / worthless. Are you suggesting there is absolutely zero other role for anyone in any public interaction of any kind? Like I truly don’t get this at all.
Ignoring the UK, I’ve spent my entire adult life in cities with various levels of crime. I’ve never owned a gun and yet I’ve interacted daily and constantly with other members of the public. I don’t refuse to leave my house unless an armed Federal force is arresting , frisking and handcuffing
Every single individual I might come in contact with. Maybe wherever you live is fundamentally different from where I’ve lived, which is where 1/3 of the country lives. But it seems like a nightmare.
Most US National Park rangers and US Forest Service employees are unarmed and responsible for educating visitors about wildlife, geology, and/or history in the park as well as fire prevention, trail restoration, fire & rescue, and park management. (my own experience, not speaking for @snarkranger)
Parks with a lot of visitors have law enforcement rangers who carry a sidearm (and possibly a shotgun in their vehicle, usually for wildlife). They issue warnings & tickets to people who are doing something stupid/illegal they’ve already been told not to by other staff or that’s super dangerous.
I am a national park ranger, as it happens. NPS law enforcement rangers are fully qualified federal law enforcement officers and carry sidearms and semi-automatic rifles. They can and do make arrests for all crimes cognizable to law.
They're the park's police force, and they are trained and equipped accordingly. As an interp ranger, I'm empowered to demand compliance with the law, but I am neither trained nor qualified to engage with anyone refusing to comply - that's when I back off and call the people with guns and cuffs.
That’s what I thought from what you were describing. And I know people are terrible at this time of year without budget cuts, so thank you for what you do! I love our parks, they’re a treasure!
I saw several arrests over 5 to 7 years, but I don’t think I ever saw a weapon drawn. Thankfully.
And depending on the park, visitors can and will be belligerent jerks, especially at this time of year, or whatever the busy season is, and especially at the busiest parks, like Yellowstone, and parks in or near cities, like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and where I’ve worked.
And it’s actually somewhat a different kind of bad behavior, but a lot of the time it’s still the same assholes everywhere, if that makes sense. Some behavior will be specific, but mostly it’s people being dumb, entitled, rude, drunk, on drugs, starting fires, letting kids/dogs run around, sucking.