Park Police budget request falls short of chief's estimate

The Bush administration has asked for a $3.3 million budget increase for the U.S. Park Police in fiscal 2005, a number that is well short of what the agency's embattled chief said is needed to combat funding and personnel shortfalls.

Chief Teresa Chambers said in December her 620-member force needs as many as 800 additional officers and up to $8 million more for the next fiscal year to deal with increased demands. The administration's budget request for the National Park Service, which was sent to Congress this week, however, only boosts the Park Police budget by $3.3 million to $81.2 million.

Park Service spokesman David Barna refuted Chambers' estimate Tuesday, saying the service will not know the true needs of the Park Police until an analysis is completed this March.

"There isn't any basis for her numbers," Barna said. "They're not based on any kind of study, so they don't really represent anything to us."

Chambers was put under a gag order and placed on administrative leave with pay after making her comments about the budget. Park Service Deputy Director Don Murphy charged Chambers with improper budget communications, making public remarks regarding security on federal property, improper disclosure of budget deliberations, improper lobbying, failure to carry out a supervisor's instructions, and failure to follow the chain of command.

Chambers immediately challenged the charges, saying they were illegal and unfounded, and has asked the Office of Special Counsel to reinstate her until a decision is rendered. Chambers' supporters, including a few members of Congress, have condemned the Park Service for reprimanding a high-level manager for speaking publicly about problems in a federal agency.

The Park Police are responsible for securing national landmarks ranging from the Statue of Liberty in New York City to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The bulk of the agency's work is in Washington, where Park Police patrol the National Mall, monuments, and federal parks and parkways.

James Austin, chairman of the Park Police Labor Committee, which represents officers at the agency, said the budget increase "falls well short of what our needs are."

"If you compare what's in the budget to what our needs are, that $3.3 million increase is not even getting you close to the tip of the iceberg," Austin said. "If that's all we get, that's going to be very disappointing."

One of the primary problems the Park Service faces is staffing shortages, according to Austin, and additional funding should be allocated to hire more officers and provide more training. He said the agency now must deal with more contingencies, especially when the nation's threat level is elevated to code orange or higher. The nation has gone to code orange five times since the terrorist attacks of September 2001-the most recent alert lasting three weeks during the holidays in December and January.

The fiscal 2005 budget request includes $2 million for securing monuments and icons while the nation is at code yellow, and $1 million for security needs associated with the upcoming 2005 presidential inaugural ceremonies. The budget does not designate specific funding for security when the nation goes to code orange.

The Park Service's Barna said the Park Police will hire more officers in fiscal 2005, but does not yet know how many. But he said staffing is only one factor that affects security and increased demands. He said the right technology and equipment can also improve security and help reduce demands placed on the workforce. He added that the pending analysis of the Park Police would help determine if officers are doing tasks that should be performed by other agencies.

"It's about the level of security and the level of protection; it's not just about the number of people," Barna said.