Intermountain Region
Follow-up: Assist with Columbia Shuttle Disaster
The NPS critical incident stress management team headed by Lane Baker
of Yellowstone NP is now in place in Texas and supporting teams involved
in the response to the shuttle disaster. The seven-person peer support
team is meeting with many individuals and will conduct three debriefings
for over 60 Forest Service employees and for an overhead team (some of
the search is in the 161,000-acre Sabine NF). Other agency CISM peer
support personnel are arriving on scene, which will permit the NPS team
to demobilize early next week.
[Submitted by Pat Buccello, CISM
Program Manager, WASO]
Saguaro National Park (AZ)
Armed Robbery
On January 28, rangers received a report that an armed robbery had
occurred near the Signal Hill picnic area. Rangers Jason Smith and Brian
Rutledge contacted 35-year-old R.L.B. R.L.B. reported
that she had been a passenger in a vehicle driving through the park;
along with her were unidentified male and female companions. Near the
picnic area, the woman produced a handgun, forced R.L.B. out of the
vehicle, and robbed her of her purse. R.L.B. was not injured during the
robbery and claims that there was little or no money in the purse.
Rangers and county deputies are jointly investigating the incident.
[Submitted by Bob Love, Chief Ranger]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Shotgun Safety Message
A firearms instructor at Lake Mead NRA discovered a rubber plug in the barrel of a 12 gauge shotgun this week. The plug came from a barrel down mount used in many patrol vehicles to save space. The solution to this problem is to use upright or overhead mounts. Shotguns in patrol vehicles with barrel down mounts should be checked to assure they aren't blocked with plugs.
[Submitted by Dale Antonich, Chief Ranger]
NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Report Issued on 2002 Assaults on Rangers, USPP Officers
The annual compilation of statistics on assaults on federal officers has been completed for the National Park Service. One death (Kris Eggle) and 34 injuries were recorded last year (Hakim Farthing's death was ruled accidental by the FBI). There were another 62 assaults with no deaths or injuries. The causes for the 34 injuries were various. One was caused by a knife, two by blunt objects, two by vehicles and two were unclassified; the vast remainder - 27 injuries - were caused by assault with hands or feet. The top five locations for assaults were D.C. (27), California (11), Maryland (9), Arizona (7) and Virginia (7).
[Submitted by Statistics courtesy of Bob Reid, FLETC.]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.