News Release

Ranger Named Honor Graduate

Ranger Sean Nelb Accepts Honor Graduate Plaque

FLETC Photograph Brandon Spragins

News Release Date: December 2, 2021

Contact: Arlene Jackson, 970-858-2833

Contact: Janet Kelleher, 970-858-2811

Fruita, CO – U.S. Park Ranger Sean Nelb from Colorado National Monument was recognized by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia as the 2019 Honor Graduate. Usually an annual event, the ceremony was conducted jointly with the 2020 Honor Graduate ceremony as the 2019 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leadership from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FLETC, and the National Park Service presented the award.

FLETC hosts training for multiple agencies across several locations, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Park Police, and many others. National Park rangers attend the Land Management Police Training program, alongside officers from the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Defense. Nelb was chosen honor graduate for 2019 out of over 21,000 other basic students in all program areas. Earning this distinction requires near perfect academic performance, exceptional physical fitness, and outstanding proficiency in firearms and other skills testing. Prior to Nelb, the last time a National Park Service ranger received this honor was in 2003.

The Land Management Police Training program is 16 weeks long and covers a wide range of topics including law and policy, firearms, use of force, control tactics, and patrol skills. Rangers must meet rigorous academic and physical requirements, as well as exercising judgment in complex scenarios. 

Colorado National Monument Superintendent Nathan Souder stated, “Ranger Nelb is a great example of the high standards and quality of our law enforcement workforce, at Colorado National Monument and across the National Park Service. We are very fortunate to have a truly outstanding group of rangers here at the monument.”

For additional information about Colorado National Monument please visit www.nps.gov/colm or call 970-858-2800.

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About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.