Yellowstone NP
Burglary Suspects Charged
On December 2nd, rangers from Mammoth Subdistrict responded to a reported burglary and theft at the concession-operated warming hut and snowmobile facility. Rangers worked with a description of the vehicle seen in the area and data from in-place surveillance cameras to identify a suspect vehicle and circulate photos to area law enforcement officers. On December 11th, special agent Chris Fors and ranger Nancy Martinez saw this suspect vehicle traveling about a 100 mph on Highway 89 25 miles north of the park. They summoned additional assistance and managed to catch up with and stop it and contact the occupants. Both men admitted to breaking into the facility, stealing clothing, and unlawfully operating parked concession snowmobiles. All the stolen property was recovered, and the two men were charged with theft, criminal trespass, tampering and driving off-road. They also face possible burglary charges and state charges of reckless driving and possession of stolen property. [Brian Smith, Supervisory Special Agent]
Mojave NP
MVA with Fatality
H.G., 51, of Ls Vegas, was killed in a single-vehicle accident on the evening of December 16th. H.G. was northbound on Kelbaker Road heading for Kelso when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a poll. H.G. was ejected from his car and sustained fatal injuries. Rangers Tim Duncan and Wayne Dingman arrived on scene within five minutes, but the severity of H.G.'s injuries precluded any possibility of successful administration of life- saving measures. It appears that both alcohol and high speed were contributing factors. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
PARKS AND PEOPLEUSPP Officer Class Graduation — Nineteen recruits were hired by the United States Park Police on July 20, 2003. After one week of orientation to the U.S. Park Police, the recruits began their 17-week training program at the FLETC — an intense training academy that combines the generalized ten-week FLETC basic law enforcement training with the eight-week U.S. Park Police specific recruit program. In an effort to train the high volume of federal law enforcement personnel, FLETC has condensed all of its basic programs into six-day work weeks. This has condensed the USPP program to approximately seventeen weeks. Fifteen recruits completed this program on November 19th. The class average for USPPI-303 was 90.22%. As with all recruit classes, this class brings a wide range of experience and skills to the U.S. Park Police, from college to prior law enforcement and military experience. USPPI-304 returned to the Washington metropolitan area for three weeks of U.S. Park Police specialized training, which provides the recruit with additional tools to successfully perform their duties, such as civil disobedience/crowd control training, standard field sobriety testing, domestic violence, and officer and traffic safety. On December 11th, the Park Police held a ceremony honoring the achievements for USPPI-304. The accomplishments of individual students were identified for the highest achievements in driving, physical fitness, firearms, and the FLETC Directors Award. This award is given to the recruit who exemplifies the core values of a federal law enforcement officer. The final award is the Hawkins Award, which is given to the officer who is the top overall achiever in academics, firearms, and physical fitness in each recruit class. The award is in honor of fallen USPP officer Raymond L. Hawkins. On December 12th, ten of the recruits traveled to their field office assignments — five to San Francisco Field Office and five to New York Field Office — to begin a 12-week field training evaluation program. The recruits will be assigned to veteran officers who have been selected and trained to instruct and guide the recruits through on-the-job training. Five officers will be staying in the Washington metropolitan area. They will receive one week of DC, VA, and MD code training prior to beginning their 12-week field training evaluation program. The Park Police welcome these officers into the prestigious ranks of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency. They will have the honor and responsibility of protecting national icons and visitors in Washington, New York and San Francisco. [Sgt. Scott Fear, USPP]
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.