The city’s current budget allotted $300,000 to launch a park ranger program in Louisville, and a former Oldham County Police officer is set to lead the program.
James Brown joined the Oldham County Police Department in 2003, according to his LinkedIn profile. During that time, he worked as a patrol supervisor, Taser instructor, public information officer and agency representative to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The city hired him for the Senior Park Ranger position in March, according to records obtained by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.
Records show Brown is expected to make $95,014 per year.
In an email, Brown said he is excited to be part of creating a new agency that will make Louisville parks safer. He said he hopes to hire two part-time park rangers to patrol parks and facilities within the next six months.
"Our mission is to be visible and interacting with park users in designated parks during the peak usage times of evenings and weekends," he said. "Our Rangers will be a valuable asset to ensure safe and inviting parks for everyone to utilize.
Mayor Craig Greenberg announced the park ranger program last October, based on data from a 2024 pilot program at Iroquois Park. The initiative aimed to improve safety at the city’s parks, city officials said in a press release at the time.
The project was in partnership with Bloomberg Harvard Cross Boundary Collaboration Program, which works with 40 mayors across the country to improve collaborations with other city agencies to address local challenges.
At a press conference Tuesday, Greenberg said he’s excited for the park ranger program to “enhance safety at all the parks.”
“[The park ranger program] really grew out of community feedback and hearing from community members about the need to want to enjoy all aspects of our public parks and to ensure that they're safe, welcoming, inviting and clean places to go,” he said.
Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said the program gives law enforcement an extra hand.
“I'm never going to turn down help,” Humphrey said at the press conference. “So any capacity that we can get more assets to aid with public safety, we're going to support that 100%.”
Greenberg’s proposed 2025-26 budget includes funds for park ranger recruitment. Metro Council is expected to take a final vote on the budget at the end of June.
Louisville residents can attend a public comment meeting about the budget on May 22 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 601 West Jefferson St. An online budget feedback form is available through June 9.
This story was updated to include a comment from James Brown.
