Mammoth Cave National Park (KY)
Follow up on Child Sexual Abuse
Rangers arrested R.S.F. of Cave City, Kentucky, last
August 7th on charges that he had attempted to fondle a child while on a
camping trip to Houchins Ferry campground. R.S.F. was also accused of
trying to coerce the child into having sex with an adult female
companion. On December 13th, R.S.F. pled guilty in U.S. District Court.
Pursuant to the terms of a plea agreement, R.S.F. was sentenced to two
years incarceration and three years of supervised probation and will be
required to register as a sex offender upon his release. Charges are
pending on the adult female involved in the incident. Law enforcement
specialist Brad McDougal and rangers David Alexander and Miranda Cook
investigated the case.
[Submitted by Wayne Elliott, Chief
Ranger]
Independence National Historical Park (PA)
Liberty Bell Area Closed Due to Suspicious Package
On the evening of January 3rd, a contract Wackenhut guard saw a
vehicle pull to an abrupt halt near the Liberty Bell screening pavilion
and a woman get out with a box in her hand. She yelled something
unintelligible, held the box over her head, then heaved it down the ramp
of the nearby subway station. She then got back in her car and sped off.
Rangers, transit police and Philadelphia PD officers responded. The
package, comprised of two 12-pack beer containers taped together with
clear packing tape, was tested with a park-owned detection device, but
no indication of explosives was found. The area was secured until the
city's bomb unit arrived. A brick packed in newspaper was found inside
the makeshift box. The Wackenhut guard was able to provide a description
of the woman, the vehicle, and the vehicle's license plate. The area was
blocked and traffic rerouted for about an hour. Local and federal
charges are pending.
[Submitted by Katherine Korte, Law Enforcement
Specialist]
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (CA)
Serious Trail Vandalism
Volunteer Anza Trail horse patrol leader Leeann Brown discovered
significant vandalism to trail markers and trailhead signage while on
morning patrol along the trail in San Luis Obispo County on the evening
of January 3rd. Many of the carsonite trail markers were covered with
swastikas and threatening language, and other trail markers had been
removed and destroyed. Later that evening, Brown, who lives adjacent to
the trail, heard the vandals return with paint ball guns. The next
morning, she saw that other signs and many of the trees along the trail
had been hit with pink paint from the paint balls. Although the NPS
administers the trail, the agency has no jurisdiction on this particular
segment and the matter has been turned over to the local police
department. Due to limited resources, the city has been unable to
actively patrol the trail and the NPS has relied on volunteers. This
section of the trail has a history of illegal off-road vehicle use.
Trail volunteers on the horse patrol were extremely active last year in
educating motorcyclists in an effort to eliminate there use along the
trail.
[Submitted by Meredith Kaplan, Superintendent]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Weekly Listing of Operations Training Opportunities
Operations Training Calendar
This calendar appears every Monday as an addendum to the Morning Report and a separate entry for InsideNPS. It is not meant to be replace the Learning Place; rather it is a quick summary of available training with links (as available) to relevant Learning Place pages. Please note:
- New and revised entries are in bold face.
- Submissions for other training courses should conform to the style used here.
- Please include the URL to the web sites where readers can obtain the requisite forms and/or find out additional information about the training course. If a URL is not specifically listed, the announcement can likely be found on the Learning Place, the NPS training page found at http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc.
- Closing dates for applications are underscored.
**********************************************************************************************
February
February 3 — February 6: EMT Refresher, Lassen Volcanic NP, CA. $50 per student. For additional information, contact Kelly_Roche@nps.gov, or call her at 530-595-4444. [Randy Coffman, WASO]
February 18 — February 19: "Taking Care of Our Own," National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Wildland Fire Training Center, McClellan, CA. Two one-day training sessions for emergency service supervisors on line-of-duty death response. Slots are available for a limited number of NPS participants on either session. There is no tuition, but all other travel costs are benefiting account. Nominee names should be submitted directly to Pat Buccello by January 16th at either Pat_Buccello@nps.gov or 202-513-7131. [Pat Buccello, WASO]
February 23 — February 25: EMS Refresher, Shenandoah NP, VA. For more information, please go to the NPS EMS web site at http://inside.nps.gov/programs/programcustommenu.cfm?menuid=1824&div=45&prog=177.
[Randy Coffman, WASO]
March
March 1 — March 5: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), FLETC, Glynco, GA. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
March 29 — April 2: Law Enforcement for Managers (LEM-402), FLETC, Glynco, GA. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. The announcement closes on February 6th. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]
March 30 — April 1: Colt M-16/AR-15 Rifle/Carbine/Submachine Gun Armorer's School, Delaware Water Gap NRA, Bushkill, PA. Those attending will be provided with a complete understanding of the design theory, nomenclature, dynamics, compatibility, interchangeability, detailed disassembly, assembly, maintenance and troubleshooting of the M-16/AR-15 family of weapons and certified for three years as a model-specific Colt law enforcement armorer. The course if for LE personnel only. Cost: $375. The closing date for applications is February 29th. For additional details, contact Mike Zirwas, park ranger, at 570-588-2436 or contact him via email. [Mike Zirwas, DEWA]
April
April 19 — April 23: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Colorado Springs, CO. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
May
May 10 — May 14: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Prescott, AZ. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
May 24 — May 28: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Redmond, OR. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
June
June 7 — June 11: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Missoula, MT. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
June 14 — June 18: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Boise, ID. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (WV)
GS-025-9 Commissioned Ranger Position
The park is seeking a qualified candidate for a lateral transfer to a GS-025-9 commissioned ranger position. The park has a diverse protection operation that includes natural, cultural, and archeological resource protection, physical security, EMS, wildland and structural fire suppression, technical rescue, boat operations, and river rescue. Rangers operate in a team-oriented fashion with an emphasis on service to visitors through resource protection, and are expected to eagerly participate in national mobilizations for wildland fire and homeland security. They also participate in regionally-based activities, such as the NCR Resource Protection Unit (law enforcement surveillance operations in NCR parks). In recent years, rangers have averaged approximately 75 hours of overtime per year. Each ranger is well equipped with an assigned vehicle, body armor, long arms, a digital camera, a cellular telephone, a personal computer and more. By the fall of 2004, the Bureau of Customs will have completed construction of a state-of-the-art firearms facility adjacent to park property, and rangers will be permitted to utilize the facilities for firearms training, qualification, and practice. Fitness facilities are provided through park sponsored memberships at a local Gold's Gym, and rangers are strongly encourage to utilize the allotted three hours of fitness time per week. The park is located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and has acreage in three states (West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland). Through an agreement with the Appalachian Trail Park Office, rangers also cover 17 miles of the Appalachian Trail. The park has 24/7/365 professional dispatch services provided through the National Capital Region Communications Center in Hagerstown, Maryland. Excellent training opportunities exist in the area, including Mather Training Center and the National Conservation Training Center (just 30 minutes from the park). The park falls under Washington D.C. locality pay. For further information, please contact Ryan Peabody, supervisory park ranger, at 304-535-6746.
[Submitted by Scot McElveen, Chief Ranger]
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.