FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -Tuesday, January 27, 2004       

    
Contact: Randall Kendrick    800-407-8295     

US PARK RANGERS FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE LODGE CALLS FOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DIRECTOR FRAN MAINELLA TO FIRE HER DEPUTY, DON MURPHY LODGE REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR USPP CHIEF TERESA CHAMBERS

Investigations by journalists published in the print and broadcast media have substantiated Chief Chambers complaints of harassment against her by NPS Deputy Don Murphy.
 
There seems to be no argument that Don Murphy began taking steps to fire Teresa Chambers three hours after she filed a formal written complaint against him with National Park Service Director Fran Mainella regarding Don Murphy's misconduct and ongoing hostile work environment.  Said Randall Kendrick, the Executive Director and spokesperson for the Ranger organization. "This fact, along with the disgraceful treatment of the USPP Chief, is cause enough to warrant Mr. Murphy's removal".
 
"It has also been reliably reported that the Interior Department offered to place no charges against Chief Chambers as part of a settlement offer one week before any charges were placed!  This occurred just one week after Chief Chambers' police powers were suspended.  What does this say about Mr. Murphy's contention that Chief Chambers' conduct was so heinous that only termination could be considered?  In addition, the Department of the Interior was willing at that time to pay 100 percent of Chief Chambers' legal fees.  What does this say about how confident the National Park Service was that their actions were proper and legal?"
 
We also are asking those police and employee organizations who have shown such great support for Chief Chambers to similarly ask for Mr. Murphy's removal.

"We don't want to minimize the grievous nature of the verified actions on Murphy's part by bringing up other matters, but it's a matter of conscience and good administration that we do",  Mr. Kendrick went on to say.
 
"The International Association of Chiefs of Police and Interior's Inspector General have both pointed out gross maladministration in the way the NPS manages law enforcement.

This is within the purview of Mr Murphy and he has done little or nothing to fix the awful situation".

The NPS has by far the worst safety record for its officers. Quoting the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the Dept of Justice, "When assaults that resulted in death or injury are tabulated, the NPS has a rate of 15 per 1000 officers; the next highest rate is found at Customs with 5.1 per 1000."  To put this numbers in further perspective, the FBI has a rate of 1.2 per 1000 officers and the DEA has a rate of 1.1 per 1000.
 
Customs, to its credit, recognized their problem and took immediate steps, post 9/11, to retain and recruit the most qualified officers. The NPS has taken no meaningful steps. "Again this is at the doorstep of Mr. Murphy", said Kendrick, speaking for the Ranger Lodge.

Since 9/11, approximately 185 fully trained and experienced law enforcement rangers have left the NPS for other agencies making the situation more dangerous for those who remain, according to statistics kept at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. This is close to 12% of the law enforcement ranger staff nationwide. Additionally, approximately forty officers of the US Park Police have left for safer and better paying enforcement jobs in the federal sector.  The NPS maintains two separate law enforcement divisions: The United States Park Police and the law enforcement park rangers.
 
The Hon. Earl Devaney, IG of Interior, testified last year before the Senate, that he and his investigators only used the word "immediate" once in the list of items that the NPS had to fix and that was to hire more officers as soon as possible to alleviate the dangers the field officers face from the lack of staff.  "Over a year has passed since that recommendation was formally made and, to our knowledge, no serious attempt has been made by the Park Service to complete the task", said Mr. Devaney.

Chief Chambers has been served with proposed termination papers because she told the media that her 620 officers were way too few to carry out the assigned responsibilities.
 
Mr. Murphy would like to bully Park Service officers into believing they too will be fired if they quote the Inspector General or Chief Chambers.
 
We call for Chief Chambers to be reinstated in her position immediately.

We also call upon Director Mainella to fire Don Murphy, not fill his position, and assign the funds used by him and his office to the USPP to bolster its law enforcement program.

"If there is a Washington bureaucrat who can successfully be replaced by an empty chair, it's Don Murphy", said Randall Kendrick. "He has had two plus years to correct the problems in the NPS's law enforcement program and has not done so, according to all outside studies as well as the general knowledge gained by those who have to work day to day in the environment created by him. As the House Appropriations committee stated, the NPS continues to spend heavily on travel for those in senior positions, even travel overseas, while starving the basic functions of the Service: law enforcement and maintenance.
 
In March of 2003, the GAO found at least $25 million in travel funds either misused or unaccounted for.
 
Mr. Murphy's record of poor performance, coupled with his vindictiveness towards Chief Chambers, should close out his tenure at the National Park Service.
 
U.S. Park Rangers Lodge
Fraternal Order of Police
PO Box 151
Fancy Gap, VA 24328
randallfop@ls.net
1-800-407-8295