News Release

National Park Service selects Jessica Taylor as the Chief of the U.S. Park Police

Jessica Taylor has been selected as the Chief of the U.S. Park Police.

Environmental Protection Agency

News Release Date: April 3, 2023

Contact: [e-mail]

WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) announced today the selection of Jessica Taylor as the U.S. Park Police’s (USPP) Chief of Police. Taylor will begin her role in early May. Taylor will oversee a workforce of 560 employees in Washington, D.C., New York City and San Francisco metropolitan areas.  

“I trust in Jessica’s core values as a leader and the skills she has honed during her 25 years in federal law enforcement to effectively protect and serve the American people,” said NPS Associate Director of Visitor and Resource Protection Jen Flynn, who oversees the NPS’s law enforcement programs. “Jessica has proven time and time again to be a driven, professional, and insightful leader who tackles challenges every day with humility and focus on the mission.”  

“Early in my law enforcement career as a Secret Service agent, I often worked side by side with U.S. Park Police officers. Most of us carry those first years in policing long into our career, and I remain energized by the organization’s mission,” said Taylor. “My commitment is to ‘people first, mission always’ as we protect people, protect parks, and above all operate with transparency and integrity.” 

After she got her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from the College of William and Mary, Taylor spent 11 years as a U.S. Secret Service special agent in the Washington, D.C. area. Then, Taylor joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General as an Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge. Over 13 years, Taylor rose in the ranks to Director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division, bringing 25 years of experience in federal law enforcement to this role. At EPA, Jessica manages a team of 200 and oversees protection functions and criminal investigations under Title 18 violations and federal statutes, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. 

Taylor is originally from New Jersey and has lived in the D.C. area for over 20 years. Taylor is a military spouse who is passionate about the outdoors and enjoys rowing on the Potomac, local D.C. sports, and spending time with her husband and two sons. 

Established in 1791, the USPP is the nation’s oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency. Today, the workforce serves to protect the public, parks and the nation’s most iconic landmarks in the Washington, D.C., New York City and San Francisco metropolitan areas. 

www.nps.gov 

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 424 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.