WESTERN ROUNDUP-
Aug.
16, 2004
Park police chief canned for candidness
by Dan Wilcock
National parks pinching pennies Former Park Service workers say the
agency is being hurt by budget cuts, but that employees are under
orders from headquarters to hide the problems.
U.S. Park Police Chief Teresa Chambers didn’t know what to expect
when she reported to the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Park Service
Deputy Director Don Murphy, on Dec. 5, 2003. "I had no idea I
was about to walk into an ambush," says Chambers. But she could
tell something was wrong when she noticed four armed Park Service
agents flanking Murphy’s door. Murphy asked for Chambers’
gun and badge and handed her a letter, placing her on administrative
leave pending a review.
A few days earlier, Chambers had granted an interview to the Washington
Post in which she discussed Park Police funding, citing a $12 million
shortfall in 2004 and the need for an $8 million budget increase in
2005. She based her comments on a budget analysis by the Fraternal
Order of Police, a union, which cited that rising costs for homeland
security were dragging down park police services.
Two weeks after Chambers was placed on leave, Murphy wrote her a letter
saying she should be fired for failing to follow orders and for her
comments in the Washington Post. Those comments, Murphy wrote, constituted
improper lobbying and disclosure of budget talks. Since then, Park
Service officials have declined to comment about the case.
For the next six months, Chambers sat at home, preparing a legal challenge
against the Park Service. During much of that time, the agency ordered
her not to talk to the press without approval.
"Employees who deviate from the company line do so at great personal
risk," says Jeff Ruch, executive director of the Public Employees
for Environmental Responsibility, a group that is providing legal
assistance to Chambers, as well as to 10 Park Service superintendents
who say they fear for their jobs if they speak out about problems.
In July, the Park Service fired Chambers after she brought her lawsuit
for reinstatement to the Merit Systems Protection Board, a federal
group that protects government employees against managerial abuse.
In its preliminary decision, the board said it is unclear whether
Chambers is protected by the Whistleblower Protection Act. A hearing
is set for Sept. 8.
If she is not reinstated, Chambers intends to appeal the case in district
court. "I will take (my case) as far as the courts will allow
it," she says. "It’s about federal employees being
able to speak the truth without retaliation."
