Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy

Faculty and Advisory Committee

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Rick Mossman

Rick Mossman served as a National Park Ranger for over 37 years working in 13 different units of the National Park system from Washington DC to Alaska and retired as the Chief Ranger of Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. Mossman started his career in the NPS while in college at Kansas State University where he received a B.S. degree in Wildlife Management. Mossman has served in very prominent Parks including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier Bay, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks. During his career he has served continually as a Federal Law enforcement officer. Mossman has certifications in Wildland fire, structure fire, Search and Rescue, an EMT for over 30 years, blue carded scuba diver for the NPS, and instructor for numerous medical, search and rescue and other Ranger activities. For the last thirteen years of his career he served on the Intermountain Incident Management team of the National Park Service.  This team handles “all-Risk” incidents which occur in Parks throughout the country.  

Mossman is a consultant for two Homeland Security contractors and an instructor for the National Association of Search and Rescue, teaching throughout the nation.

After retirement Mossman spent 4.5 years as the Director for the National Park Service Ranger Academy at Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely, Colorado.  

In June 2018, Mossman moved to the Directorship of the Park Ranger and Basic Law Enforcement Reserve Academies at SVC.  

On a personal note, Mossman enjoys world travel, climbing mountains, scuba diving, fly fishing, and reading.

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David Green

David Green is the Parks Field Supervisor for the City of Lake Stevens. Prior to joining the city, he was a Park Ranger with City of Everett Parks and Snohomish County. David was part of the 25th graduating class from Skagit Valley College’s PLEA program. David graduated from Western Washington University with a B.A. in History / Social Studies. He lives with his wife and son in the Everett area.

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Ken Hageman

Ken Hageman served for 40 years as a Park Ranger in Washington State Parks. Assignments inlaced: Deception Pass, Mukilteo, Mount Pilchuck, Nolte, and Fort Casey. Thirty-seven years were spent at Fort Casey where he raised two boys, Brian and Geoff. Brian is now Manager of Fort Worden State Park, and Geoff works with the Ketchikan Fire Department. While at Fort Casey, Ken became an original board member of the Ebey’s Landing Historical Reserve, organized a Friends Group to manage the Interpretive Center, and worked closely with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage a unique salmon run occurring along the park beaches. Ken also developed a management plan to manage an endangered plant species in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources.

Ken graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Forestry and a major in Outdoor Recreation. He presently serves on an Advisory Committee for Washington State and teaches Higher Education.At Skagit Valley College, Ken teaches firearm instruction for the Parks Law Enforcement Academy, and has served as a firearms instructor for the Washington State Parks and the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. In addition, Ken became a Hunter Education instructor in 2016 instructing practical safety application five times a year.

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Ryan Green

Ryan Green has served as the Assistant Chief of Law Enforcement for Washington State Parks since 2012.  A former graduate of Skagit Valley College’s Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy, Assistant Chief Green has been a commissioned employee with Washington State Parks since 2004.  During this time, he has worked as a park ranger at two agency flagship parks: Cape Disappointment State Park and Deception Pass State Park. 

 In his role as Assistant Chief, he oversees WA State Park’s specialized programs for law enforcement training and professional standards for approximately 200 park rangers.  Assistant Chief Green manages the agency law enforcement instructor cadre comprised of defensive tactics instructors, firearms instructors, fitness instructors, tactical communication instructors, boating enforcement instructors, and bike patrol instructors.  He has also managed the agency Field Training Officer Program.

Assistant Chief Green holds certifications from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission as a Firearms Instructor, Master Defensive Tactics Instructor, Patrol Tactics Instructor, and Field Training Officer.  He holds additional certifications from the National Rifle Association, Axon International, Smith and Wesson Academy, Cognitive Command, and WRAP-Safe Restraints.

Active memberships include the International Association of Law Enforcement Instructors, International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Washington Association of Sheriff and Police Chiefs, and the National Rifle Association.

Assistant Chief Green has served as an instructor at Skagit Valley College’s Parks Law Enforcement Academy, and routinely provides law enforcement training and consulting services to government agencies in both Washington and Idaho.

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Chelsea Kapica

Chelsea Kapica is currently a Senior Park Ranger and Training Coordinator at Snohomish County Parks where she has worked since 2013. She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the Defensive Tactics and Field Training Programs at her agency, helping to build confident and effective Park Rangers. Before her time with Snohomish County, she got her start with Washington State Parks where she worked as a Park Aide at Rasar, Bay View and Deception Pass State Parks seasonally. It was then that she realized her passion for working in the outdoors and enrolled into the Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy in 2013 where she successfully completed the program and earning an award specifically in Defensive Tactics. She holds an Associate’s degree in Environmental Conservation with a Parks Resource Management Emphasis from SVC and is a graduate of Mariner High School in Snohomish County.

Chelsea is also currently an adjunct instructor at Skagit Valley College in the PRLEA program where she teaches Taser, Patrol Tactics, Control Tactics and helps with Scenario Based Training. She is, also, a member on the Parks Law Enforcement Advisory Committee Board.

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William Overby

Bill Overby has had a lifelong interest, passion for and career in parks and recreation. After several seasons in private park operations in the 1960s he achieved a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation/Park Administration from Washington State University in 1972. Prior to graduation he worked seasonally for three years for Washington State Parks. Upon graduation he began a 32-year career as a park ranger in a wide variety of duty stations on the ocean beaches, Eastern Washington rivers, lakes, mountains and ultimately, spent the last 20 years as the manager of the Deception Pass complex. Bill’s involvement in the Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy began when the program was still operating at Everett Community College in 1982. He took over leadership of the program in 2000, serving as the academy director until retirement in 2018. Bill continues to instruct several blocks and topics in the academy sessions. As a private consultant in the areas of risk assessment and management, training and public safety policy development, Bill continues to serve public agencies, local governments and non-profit organizations. He serves as a volunteer member of the Disciplinary Committee for the Washington State Bar Association, is a Senior Fellow for the Pierce College Center of Excellence in Homeland Security Emergency Management, and is co-authoring an Introduction to Criminal Justice textbook for the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges. He is a Life member of the Association of National Park Rangers and was the Charter President of the Washington State Park Rangers Association. Bill lives with his wife Tee, mother-in-law Jeanne, and three Yorkie puppies on Camano Island.