[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S9684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       UNITED STATES PARK POLICE

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I rise today to draw attention to a 
group of federal officers who carry out a vital mission and provide 
critical services, but are largely unknown to people not in the law 
enforcement community. I am referring to the men and women of the 
United States Park Police.
  An agency within the Department of Interior, the United States Park 
Police traces its lineage back to 1791 when then President George 
Washington established a force of ``Park Watchmen''. In subsequent 
years, the authority of what has become the Park Police has been 
expanded so that today, that department is responsible for providing 
comprehensive police services in the National Capital Region. 
Furthermore, they have jurisdiction in all National Park Service Areas, 
as well as other designated Federal/State lands.
  While you will find their officers in New York City and the Golden 
Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, the bulk of the 
officers and duties of the United States Park Police are right here in 
the National Capital Region. Park Police officers provide a multitude 
of services ranging from patrol to criminal investigation and from 
counter-terrorism to helping to protect the President. They are 
responsible for patrolling and providing police services in 22% of the 
geographic area of the District of Columbia, which includes all the 
national monuments; as well as, Rock Creek Park, National Parklands in 
the Capital Region, and 300 miles of parkways in the District of 
Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
  The United States Park Police is a tremendous asset, but I am deeply 
concerned that due to a lack of adequate funding, it is an asset that 
is losing its edge. Make no mistake, I question not the leadership of 
the Park Police nor the brave men and women who serve selflessly as 
officers and support personnel in that agency. Chief Langston and his 
officers will do yeoman's work no matter how well or how poorly funded 
their agency is, they are professionals and committed to protecting the 
public. I am worried that the Department of Interior lacks a commitment 
to providing sufficient funds to the law enforcement operations that 
fall under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior. The Park 
Police is now 179 officers below its authorized strength of 806 
officers. Furthermore, it is an agency that loses approximately 50 
officers a year either through retirement or lateral transfers. It is 
understandable that it is difficult for some Park Police Officers to 
resist the higher pay of other agencies, especially when you consider 
that over a 30-year period, a United States Park Police Officer makes 
approximately $135,429 less than what the average salary is for 
officers at other agencies in this area. In addition to being 
shorthanded, equipment, from the officers' sidearms to the agency's 
radio equipment is antiquated and in need of replacement. The Park 
Police needs our help.
  It is truly a shame that the Park Police is facing the challenges it 
is today and we are in a position to do something about it. The men and 
women who serve as Park Police Officers have not had a raise since 
1990, and we should support legislation that will give them a much 
needed pay boost. In an era when it is harder and harder to attract 
qualified individuals into public service, let alone a life threatening 
profession such as law enforcement, it is vital we do something to 
reward those who already serve, as well as, to attract new officers to 
an agency that provides services that keep the Capital Region safe.
  It might sound cliche, but the United States Park Police is there 
when they are needed. They are there when someone suffers an emergency 
in the waters around Great Falls, they are on the parkways when someone 
is in need of assistance, and they are on the Mall keeping visitors to 
Washington safe. They were there when the tragic shooting took place in 
this building, and they landed their helicopter on the plaza outside 
the Capitol in a valiant attempt to get a wounded United States Capitol 
Police Officer transported to a local trauma center as quickly as 
possible. Giving the officers of the United States Park Police a raise 
is not going to solve all of that agency's needs, but it will help 
recruit and retain personnel. More importantly, it is the right thing 
to do.

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