Lincoln Memorial |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-current. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Tuesday, April 22, 1986 An unidentified male sounding subject called U.S. Park Police Communications on one of their recorded emergency lines. The caller stated — "We blow up all mother f***ing monuments pretty soon." The caller then hung up. Personnel were dispatched along with bomb detection dogs to the following locations: Jefferson Memorial Visitors were evacuated from each of the above mentioned areas until a thorough search was made and it was determined that the area was safe. All areas were re-opened to visitors as of 10:24 AM
Location: Mr. Lincoln's Lap Mr. N.L.R. climbed into President Lincoln's lap and refused to come down despite repeated requests by a Park Police officer. Other officers closed off the area; a Metropolitan DC negotiator talked with N.L.R. for 45 minutes and finally got him to climb down. He was then taken to the psychiatric ward at DC General Hospital, and has since been transferred to Saint Elizabeth's mental hospital. No charges are being filed. Park Police officers arrested N.L.R. last Saturday for harassing visitors at the Washington Monument. He was taken to Saint Elizabeth's, but later released. Arlington PD has a warrant on him for forgery and passing bad checks in that community.
Just before 4:30 a.m. on July 20th, Park Police officers discovered that a shooting had occurred at the Lincoln Memorial. An officer on duty at the time heard a gunshot from the memorial chamber and found a 30-year-old male lying on the ground with a gunshot wound in his chest. A 9mm pistol was found near the body. The victim was pronounced dead at George Washington Hospital shortly thereafter. An investigation is underway. [Capt. Marvin Ellison, RLES, RAD/NCRO, 7/21]
Park Police officers responded to a spate of incidents and events in area parks over Memorial Day weekend and subsequent days: o The Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally took place on May 30th. The event, which is held annually to bring attention to POW/MIA issues, attracted 40,000 motorcyclists this year. They assembled in the Pentagon parking lot, rode by a number of monuments, and ended at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for a concert and rally. There were several minor motor vehicle accidents among rally participants, but no significant criminal incidents. o On May 31st, Park Police officers assisted with security for the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, an event attended by the president and a number of other dignitaries. o A Park Police operation targeting prostitution in the NPS-managed area of Logan Circle in the District of Columbia resulted in a female USPP undercover officer making five arrests on June 2nd for soliciting for lewd and immoral purposes. One of those arrested was a White House pass holder. o During the morning hours of June 5th, this year's National Race for the Cure took place in and around the Mall, the Ellipse and several monuments. Over 66,000 people participated, including the vice president and his wife and other celebrities. The event required a significant commitment from the USPP for security purposes, traffic control and road closures, but there were no noteworthy incidents. o On June 5th, demonstrators in opposition to the NATO action in Yugoslavia gathered in the vicinity of the Lincoln Memorial for a rally sponsored by the International Action Center. The group, numbering between 4,000 and 5,000 protestors, marched to the Pentagon for another rally after they wrapped-up at the Lincoln Memorial. The march required the closing of Memorial Bridge and Washington Boulevard to traffic for two hours. o USPP officer Marguritte Levine spotted a woman brandishing a knife near a drug store on Pennsylvania Avenue on the afternoon of June 5th. The woman gave up her knife upon Levine's orders and was placed under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon. The woman had become disorderly in the store and waved the knife at employees and patrons. o USPP dispatch received a call just after midnight on June 6th reporting that one Jeremy Akers was at the Lincoln Memorial and might be armed with a handgun. Akers' vehicle was found on Constitution Avenue. Shortly thereafter, officer Vincent Gaudioso saw a figure on the grass near the east side of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. When he illuminated the man with a flashlight, Gaudioso saw that he had a shotgun with him, aimed at his head. Gaudioso also saw three visitors nearby and quickly moved them out of the area. As he did so, he heard the shotgun's report. The victim turned out to be Akers. Investigation revealed that he'd shot and killed his estranged wife earlier that evening. A semi-automatic believed to have been used in the murder was found in a holster in the small of Akers' back. o Late on the afternoon of June 6th, two juveniles who were rock-hopping along the Potomac became stranded on rocks in swift water near Great Falls. A USPP helicopter was summoned and retrieved the 16-year-old male and 15-year-old female via hoist, bringing them to safety. o Officers arrested two members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for demonstration violations in Constitution Gardens on June 7th. Other incidents during this period, previously reported, included a search for a missing aircraft, the Pax Christi demonstration, and the discovery of a body on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. [Rich Murphy, Assistant Commander, Criminal Investigations Branch, USPP, 6/8]
On Thursday, January 18th, the Presidential Inaugural Committee sponsored the opening ceremony for the 54th presidential inaugural at the Lincoln Memorial. This ceremony featured musical performances and speeches and was open to members of the general public, who viewed the event on the Lincoln Memorial stage from the Reflecting Pool area and adjacent grounds. Park Police officers and staff maintained a safe atmosphere during this ceremony, which included maintaining several security access points to the area. No arrests were made during the event. Despite several road closures during the evening rush hour and several firework shows, the Park Police ensured the orderly movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic into and out of the city. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 1/24]
Additional reports have been received regarding the National Park Service response to Tuesday's terrorist attacks. Those reports appear below. Secretary Norton yesterday issued this press release regarding the reopening of National Park Service areas in Washington and elsewhere in the United States: "Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today announced that the monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C., have been reopened to the public. "'We are all saddened and horrified by the magnitude of the tragedy our nation has experienced. Our focus remains on the safety of our visitors and our employees. We must remain vigilant as we provide the American people access to our nation's monuments, memorials and parks for the solace and inspiration they provide,' Secretary Norton said. 'The Washington, D.C., National Park sites are a special inspiration to the freedoms all Americans hold so precious.' "The Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorials reopened to the public at approximately 11:30 a.m. The sites had been closed yesterday after the tragedy at the Pentagon to ensure the safety of the American public, park staff, and the monuments and memorials. The Washington Monument, which has been closed for several months due to ongoing restoration work, remains closed. "National Park sites throughout the nation reopened today and have resumed normal business activities. Secretary Norton and National Park Service Director Fran Mainella have asked superintendents at each of the 384 sites to use their discretion in determining whether to limit or augment personnel and operations in sites where such measures are deemed appropriate. "'We encourage everyone to draw inspiration from our greatest national treasures, and let them serve as reminders that this nation will endure and prosper,' Secretary Norton concluded. [Lt. John Lauro, USPP, NYFO, 9/12; Gregory Smith, CR, MORR, 9/12; Norah Martinez, CR, CANA, 9/12; MORU, 9/12; Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO, 9/13; Betty Knight, ARO, 9/12]
The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country, including the brokering of numerous requests for operational support. The Service's Type 1 incident management team (Skip Brooks, IC) continues its operations from the South Interior Building; a regional Type 2 team from Southeast Region (Bob Panko, IC) is overseeing the NPS expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. There have been no significant changes in the status of parks as previously reported. Normal operations, including planned special events, have resumed. The latter included several weekend events: o Lincoln Memorial (DC) - The monument was the site yesterday for a concert, a memorial service and a candlelight vigil. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/23; NPS Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/24]
Friday's Morning Report contained a report on the evacuation of a monument in Washington due to cleaning solution fumes which neglected to say WHICH monument was evacuated. It was the Lincoln Memorial. The name was inadvertently deleted. [Editor]
Several Park Police officers responded to a medical emergency at the
Lincoln Memorial just before 9 p.m. on the evening of February 12. When
officers Patricia DeMarco, Eric Sinkeldam and Linda Freedman reached the
memorial, they found that a 62-year-old man from a tour bus group from
New Jersey was in cardiac arrest. DeMarco, a trained and certified
paramedic, employed an AED (automatic external defibrillator) to restore
his pulse and breathing with the assistance of the other two officers.
Am ambulance took him to George Washington Hospital, where he is
currently recovering.
Several demonstrators entered the chamber of the Lincoln Memorial just before 2 p.m. on Friday, August 17th. Two of them, dressed as superhero characters, climbed up onto the statue of Lincoln and hung out a banner. Park Police officers Stacy Palmer and Elizabeth Kessebeh immediately responded. They ordered the two men to come down and the other demonstrators in the chamber to sit down. When the latter declined to comply, a struggle ensued in which Palmer was injured. Other officers soon arrived. Major Kevin Hay took operational control of the incident, and officers and NPS employees began clearing visitors from the memorial's chamber and stairwell. Other officers assisted in the detention of the demonstrators. Sergeant Robert Lachance and officer Billy Brancato began negotiations with the demonstrators on the statue and were soon able to gain their compliance. Shortly thereafter, the two men handed down heavy duty chains, signs, locks, duct tape, super glue, large steel cables, and other materials. They were then safely helped down and arrested by several SWAT and K-9 officers. Based on the recovered items the demonstrators intended to use, it appears that they could have caused extensive damage to the Lincoln statue. Because of the quick actions and excellent teamwork on the part of Park Police officers and officials and the National Park Service employees who assisted in dealing with crowd management and the demonstrators, the situation was quickly contained and brought to an end with no damage to the Lincoln Memorial. [Sergeant Robert Lachance, Public Information Officer]
On the afternoon of Monday, June 30th, USPP officer Jason Keyser was dispatched to the Lincoln Memorial bookstore to investigate a robbery that had just occurred. Keyser met with the complainant, who reported having his wallet taken by two suspects by stealth. A review of the bookstore security camera showed two people working together to steal his wallet. One of the two, later identified as J.W., was seen on the video blocking the man's exit from the bookstore as his accomplice stole the wallet. Shortly thereafter, it was determined that one of the credit cards in the wallet had been used at a nearby store. Surveillance video from the store showed the same two people as on the bookstore surveillance video. Detective Glenn Luppino was assigned the case and disseminated an information bulletin concerning the crime. On July 16th, he was contacted by the DC Court Services head of security, who said that J.W. was meeting with his probation officer. He also advised that J.W. was wearing a monitoring device that showed that he'd been at the Lincoln Memorial and subsequently near the store the credit card was used on the date and approximate times of the crimes. Detectives Luppino and Scott Powers contacted the probation office and saw that J.W. was wearing the same outfit he was wearing during the commission of the crime. He was arrested and charged with robbery by stealth. The detectives are still searching for the second suspect in this case. [Sgt. Rob Lachance, PAO]
Green paint was thrown on the front of the Lincoln Memorial on the morning of July 26th. Later that same day, green paint was also found on the HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Henry" Joseph Henry statue located in front of the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall. On July 29th, Washington Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested a woman identified as J.T. in connection with vandalism to the Washington National Cathedral, where green paint had been throw inside. Park Police detectives are working closely with the Metropolitan Police Department, investigating whether J.T. may have been involved in the incidents that occurred at the Lincoln Memorial and the Joseph Henry Statue. [Sergeant Paul Brooks, Public Information Officer]
A 23-year-old Georgia man has pleaded guilty of planning to attack the White House, Statue of Liberty, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and other sites In March, 2018, a member of the Atlanta community reported that H.J.T. was planning the attacks as part of a desire to participate in a jihad. The FBI launched an undercover operation later that year and found that H.J.T.'s initial targets included the White House and the Statue of Liberty. H.J.T.'s plans subsequently added other prospective targets, included the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and a synagogue. During an undercover meeting with H.J.T. in January 2019, he described weapons and explosives he wanted to use in the attacks, including semi-automatic weapons, improvised explosive devices, an anti-tank weapon and hand grenades. Sentencing will take place this June. Source: Stefanie Dyga, Sinclair Broadcast Group.
On May 20, a local university graduation celebration left litter, broken bottles, and spilled wine and champagne across the steps of the memorial, necessitating its closure for several hours to clean and secure safety. Source: WJLA
On the morning of December 20, the area between the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial was found to have been painted with red graffiti reading, "Land Back!!" and "Free Palestine." The area was cordoned off and NPS staff are working to remove the paint. The process "may take multiple treatments over several days to remove it all." U.S. Park Police are reviewing security camera video and looking for any information the public can provide. Source: NBC Washington
On March 28, an accidental fire was caused while a generator was being refueled. One individual was taken to the hospital with "serious but non-life-threatening injuries." The fire burned a kiosk near the memorial that has information about prisoners of war and other "military-related causes." The kiosk is managed by permit by Warriors, Inc. An investigation is ongoing. Source: CNN | |