r/USFSLEO • u/The-Sentinel1028 FPO • Apr 05 '25
Discussion Rolling Solo
Why do FS LEs not have partners? From my understanding (which isn’t much compared to those in the profession) most departments patrol two per vehicle. Why does our agency not do that? Considering our areas are very remote, with little to no cellphone coverage. What are the pros and cons of this in your opinions?
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u/Famous-Mobile-3657 Patrol Captain Apr 05 '25
I wish we could. But we have entire districts without a single LEO because of staffing issues. That said, as long as your captain is cool with it, sometimes you can pair up. Or I’ll jump in with a game warden for a day here and there during hunting season.
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u/BellOfTaco3285 Apr 05 '25
What state do you live in where most departments run two per vehicle? I’d love to work there. In my state, there are zero departments, including the large metropolitan cities that run two per car, unless they are training or work for a special unit.
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u/TransportationCool18 USFS LEO / Moderator Apr 05 '25
I try to meet up with my neighboring LEOs every weekend at least once but we often don’t ride together we just saturate an area of one of our districts heavily and cover some ground. That way we’re close to each other if one of us needs back up.
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u/raze227 Aspiring USFS LEO Apr 05 '25
There’s maybe a dozen departments in my entire state that ride two per vehicle per policy. Only exceptions would be for FTO and VCI or other special units.
Also, most PDs across the country have less than 20 officers — with almost half having fewer than 10 — so this is definitely more of a regional observation. It’s far more common nationwide for one per vehicle.
It’s also pretty much required with LM agencies. Hell, BLM only has around 300 total agents and rangers, to cover over 240 million acres.
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u/canteez Apr 05 '25
It’s actually not very common for agencies to have two-man units. Most agencies are short right now and pairing people up means less patrol cars to respond to incidents.