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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office Day/Date: Thursday, January 17, 2002 INCIDENTS No incident reports received. OPERATIONAL NOTES Update on Law Enforcement - Over the past several years, the National Park Service's law enforcement program has come under increased scrutiny and has been the subject of myriad reports and evaluations. In order to develop a single approach to revitalizing and advancing law enforcement across the agency, Deputy Director Don Murphy has been charged with establishing a task force to review these reports and come up with a consolidated set of recommendations. In a recent interview, Deputy Director Murphy outlined his vision of law enforcement in the NPS and the approach he will be taking toward developing those recommendations. The fundamentals of that vision are as follows: • The Service's law enforcement program should be managed as a single, unified program in order to better share funding, training and other resources and assure consistency in mission, vision and values. He will accordingly be working to integrate the management of the Park Police and NPS protection rangers and develop a comprehensive, Servicewide law enforcement program.• Rangers and Park Police officers should be able to work across series, thereby cultivating a better understanding of each other's work, fostering a team approach to problem resolution, and assuring effective procedures for mutual aid.• The generalist ranger concept should be maintained, as the generalist ranger is still the backbone of the National Park Service. The NPS is not a criminal justice agency - it's a resource management agency which also has a law enforcement mission to protect resources and people. Law enforcement is just one tool for meeting the agency's mission.• Pay scales for protection rangers and Park Police officers should be brought into harmony, thereby assuring that all are paid the same for the same types of work.The first step in this effort will be the evaluation of the several reports on the NPS law enforcement program - the International Association of Chief of Police (IACP) report, the task force report on women in law enforcement in the NPS, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) study of the Park Police, the two so-called "Thomas Bill" (National Park System Omnibus Management Act) reports to Congress, one each on law enforcement rangers and on Park Police, and the soon-to-be released DOI inspector general's report on the NPS law enforcement program. Deputy Director Murphy has had a matrix prepared which summarizes all the recommendations of the first five reports (the sixth will soon be added). The matrix shows where there are consistencies and contradictions among the reports. The summary also flags recommendations which may not currently be possible because of legal constraints. The task force is currently being put together and will consist of field and management staff from all grades and areas. The objective will be to have the group membership firmed up by month's end, then have the meetings, evaluations and recommendations completed by March. The selection of a new chief for the Ranger Activities Division has been put on hold until this report is completed, as the task force's findings may lead to recommendations for a new alignment or organization of the law enforcement function and a concomitant change in the chief's responsibilities. A search is currently underway for a detailee to serve as acting chief, probably for at least six months. Deputy Director Murphy concluded the interview with thanks to all those who've provided homeland security staffing since September 11th: "My thanks to the SET teams and individual rangers and officers for the fine work they've been doing, and thanks to the parks for providing the necessary staff for these operations. We all need to remember that we are at war - that this is war time and we need to act accordingly. President Bush has offered his express thanks to those engaged in protecting America's people and its lands and resources. We will be making every effort to do what we can to relieve the stresses and strains these callouts have placed on the field." PARKS AND PEOPLE Assateague Island NS (MD/VA) - The park is looking for someone for a temporary, not-to-exceed one year position as a GS-7 protection ranger in the Chincoteague District. This is a backfill assignment for a permanent employee who has been called to active duty. The applicant must have current medical clearance and a level II commission and will be subject to random drug testing. For more info, contact Willie Bowman at 757-336-3743 ext. 104. [Willie Bowman, ASIS] * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |