Friday, April 22, 2005

Former Park Police Chief Seeks Justice

By Stephanie M. Mangino
The Winchester Star

Teresa Chambers never intended to be a whistleblower.

Now, she’s fighting the remaining four of six charges levied against her by her former employer — the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Chambers served as the chief of the U.S. Park Police from February 2002 until December 2003.

She was stripped of her badge and gun on Dec. 5, 2003, after she told The Washington Post she had staffing, security, and budget concerns in a post-9-11 world.

Chambers spoke Thursday at Shenandoah University, offering a presentation titled “The ‘Ascent’ to Whistleblower Status — and the Retaliation That Follows.”

Chambers, a 21-year veteran of the Prince George’s County (Md.) Police Department and former chief of police in Durham, N.C., said she was honest with the newspaper and presented her concerns as truthfully and positively as possible.

When she was asked to do taped interviews after her comments hit print, she and her press officer thought they did well, answering questions with candor and a positive outlook, she said.

Chambers thought her bosses would approve.

They didn’t.

A gag order was issued and, a couple of days later, she was stripped of her gun and badge.

Just by saying her force had budget shortfalls and a depleted staff, she had “unwittingly become a whistleblower.”

Chambers said she’s proud she spoke out, but now she’s concerned about the voices of other public servants being quashed by fear of reprisals.

People depend on the protection afforded by government and other public agencies, she said.

But public servants are taking serious risks if they point out the potential dangers of a particular drug, aircraft, or herbicide, she said.

Chambers said she made her comments to the media without really having any direction from her superiors on how to discuss budgetary matters. She said she would have kicked questions to her supervisors if she had been told to do so in advance.

Lying, though, has always been out of the question, said Chambers, a jaunty woman who learned how to stand up to bullies early in life.

She learned morality from her parents, she said, and her father watched and grinned Thursday as his daughter spoke.

“I’m still really curious what I should have done differently,” Chambers said.

Chambers is currently appealing the grounds for her dismissal to the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. If she fails there, her case can move into federal court, she said.

The Park Police — which patrols urban national park land in Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco — now has 250 fewer officers than it did when she expressed her concerns two years ago, she said.

Chambers doesn’t apologize for being honest, and she believes the ramifications could have been worse had she left her concerns unvoiced. She said she can envision a Washington Monument in ruins as Congress asks her why she didn’t speak out before it was too late.

Chambers asked the 40-strong audience to think about what kind of voice they want to have, and she advised them to inform themselves. With blogs, Web sites, and e-zines, people don’t have to depend on the government, CNN, or even “60 Minutes” for their information, she said.

However, an environment must be fostered in which public servants — or anyone — can feel free to speak out in an effort to make the country better and safer.

Inaction doesn’t work, she said.

“Complacency has hurt us,” Chambers said. “It has almost killed us in the past.”

She’s heard the government can’t be beaten.

“Well, I’ll die trying,” she said.

— For more information about Chambers, visit her Web site at www.honestchief.com.