Teresa Chambers
Encyclopedia
Teresa Chambers was the Chief of the United States Park Police
from February 2002 until December 2003. She was fired after speaking with a Washington Post reporter in detail about her concerns that new requirements instituted by the United States Congress
to double the number of stationary guards at Washington DC monuments, together with budget shortfalls in the Park Police budget were increasing risk.
The story has been discussed in a larger context as an example of how whistleblower
s in US federal agencies are silenced. As Tom Shoop wrote in Govexec.com, a business news site for US Federal managers and executives,
During the time in which Chambers awaited her federal employee appeal, she worked as the police chief of Riverdale Park, Maryland
. On 1/11/2011 the Merit Systems Protection Board ordered the Park Police Tuesday to reinstate Chambers within 20 days. The Department of Interior, the agency for the US Park Service, was also ordered to pay her retroactively dating back to July 2004. She was granted reimbursement for legal fees. On January 21, 2011, Chambers resumed her position as Chief of the US Park Police after the incumbent chief agreed to step aside.
United States Park Police
The United States Park Police is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas primarily located in the Washington, D.C., San...
from February 2002 until December 2003. She was fired after speaking with a Washington Post reporter in detail about her concerns that new requirements instituted by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to double the number of stationary guards at Washington DC monuments, together with budget shortfalls in the Park Police budget were increasing risk.
The Park Police administration and the force's union have said they fear that the stationary posts on the Mall have hurt anti-terrorism efforts, because fewer officers are able to patrol in the area. Chambers said that she does not disagree with having four officers outside the monuments but that she would also want to have officers in plainclothes or able to patrol rather than simply standing guard in uniform.
"My greatest fear is that harm or death will come to a visitor or employee at one of our parks, or that we're going to miss a key thing at one of our icons," Chambers said.
The story has been discussed in a larger context as an example of how whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
s in US federal agencies are silenced. As Tom Shoop wrote in Govexec.com, a business news site for US Federal managers and executives,
...a shoot-the-messenger attitude is beginning to prevail when it comes to [career federal service employees] challenging the conventional wisdom.
During the time in which Chambers awaited her federal employee appeal, she worked as the police chief of Riverdale Park, Maryland
Riverdale Park, Maryland
Riverdale Park is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Riverdale Park is located at ....
. On 1/11/2011 the Merit Systems Protection Board ordered the Park Police Tuesday to reinstate Chambers within 20 days. The Department of Interior, the agency for the US Park Service, was also ordered to pay her retroactively dating back to July 2004. She was granted reimbursement for legal fees. On January 21, 2011, Chambers resumed her position as Chief of the US Park Police after the incumbent chief agreed to step aside.
External links
- http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2011/01/fired_park_police_reinstated.html WaPo Story on the ruling/reinstatement
- HonestChief.com: Teresa Chambers' support page
- Original Washington Post article Park Police Duties Exceed Staffing: Anti-Terror Demands Have Led Chief to Curtail Patrols Away From Mall
- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: Follow the case by viewing "In the Chief's Corner."
Sources
- CNN: Ex-chief of Park Police denounces firing
- Washington Post: Park Police Chief Fired After Dispute, Suspension
- Govexec.com "Speak No Evil"
- About.com The Plight of Whistleblowers: Terminated Parks Police Chief tells her own story