Forest Service: Information on Law Enforcement Activities (Testimony,
06/23/98, GAO/T-RCED-98-201).

GAO discussed law enforcement activities in the Forest Service, focusing
on the: (1) number of employees involved in law enforcement activities;
(2) costs associated with these activities; (3) interaction between the
Forest Service and other federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies; (4) number and types of crimes committed on national forest
lands; and (5) number of complaints against the agency's law enforcement
staff.

GAO noted that: (1) in fiscal year 1997, the Forest Service's law
enforcement program included 708 agency staff, including law enforcement
officers, special agents, reserve law enforcement officers, and
administrative staff; (2) the cost of law enforcement in the agency was
about $68.5 million; (3) this included about $43.8 million in salaries,
$18.4 million in support costs, and $6.3 million in reimbursements to
state and local law enforcement agencies for assisting with law
enforcement activities on national forest lands; (4) in 1996, there were
3,481 offenses involving serious misdemeanors and felonies such as
assault, grand theft, and murder, and 118,596 petty offenses such as
careless driving, discharging a firearm, use of firecrackers, alcohol
violations, and permit violations; (5) there were 4 complaints against
Forest Service law enforcement personnel in 1992; 13 complaints in 1993;
20 complaints in 1994; 25 complaints in 1995; 11 complaints in 1996; and
14 complaints in 1997; and (6) the Forest Service has a system to track
the investigation and resolution of complaints against law enforcement
staff.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-RCED-98-201
     TITLE:  Forest Service: Information on Law Enforcement Activities
      DATE:  06/23/98
   SUBJECT:  Law enforcement
             Land management
             Federal employees
             Intergovernmental relations
             National forests
             Investigations by federal agencies
             Arrests

             
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Cover
================================================================ COVER


Before the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, Committee on
Resources, House of Representatives

For Release
on Delivery
Expected at
10 a.m.  EDT
Tuesday
June 23, 1998

FOREST SERVICE - INFORMATION ON
LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES

Statement of Barry T.  Hill, Associate Director,
Energy, Resources, and Science Issues,
Resources, Community, and Economic
Development Division

GAO/T-RCED-98-201

GAO/RCED-98-201T


(141199)


Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV

  DEA -
  FBI -

============================================================ Chapter 0

Madam Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: 

We are pleased to be here today to discuss law enforcement activities
in the Forest Service.  My remarks today are based on a report that
we issued in July 1997.\1 That report was done at the request of this
Subcommittee, among others, and asked us to provide information on a
number of questions about key aspects of the Forest Service law
enforcement activities.  Most of the information we provided focused
on two areas:  (1) the numbers of employees involved in law
enforcement activities, and (2) the costs associated with these
activities.  In addition, you asked us to provide some information on
other aspects of Forest Service law enforcement including interaction
with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; the
number and types of crimes committed on national forest lands; and
the number of complaints against the agency's law enforcement staff. 

To meet the needs of the Subcommittee, our 1997 report was prepared
under very tight time frames.  To obtain the information we needed in
the time frame requested, we obtained information that was readily
available from Forest Service headquarters, and we did not have the
time necessary to assess or verify the accuracy of the data we
obtained.  Our report was based on fiscal year 1996 data which was
the latest available at that time.  In preparation for this hearing,
we worked with the Forest Service to update much of the information
we are providing to fiscal year 1997. 

In summary, in fiscal year 1997, the Forest Service's law enforcement
program included 708 agency staff including law enforcement officers,
special agents, reserve law enforcement officers, and administrative
staff.  The cost of law enforcement in the agency was about $68.5
million.  This included about $43.8 million in salaries, $18.4
million in support costs, and $6.3 million in reimbursements to state
and local law enforcement agencies for assisting with law enforcement
activities on national forest lands.  (A summary table of the number
of staff and costs associated with the Forest Service's law
enforcement program is included in app.  I.)


--------------------
\1 Federal Lands:  Information About Law Enforcement Activities
(GAO/RCED-97-189R, July 3, 1997). 


   BACKGROUND
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 0:1

Most of the law enforcement activities of the Forest Service are
authorized under titles 16, 18, and 21 of the U.S.  Code.  The Office
of Law Enforcement and Investigations within the Forest Service is
responsible for investigating offenses against the United States that
occur within or have a nexus to the national forest system
lands--which include 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands
covering about 192 million acres.  The types of investigations and
enforcement actions in which the Forest Service is involved include
wildlife crimes, fire/arson, timber and other property theft, theft
and/or destruction of archeological resources or natural resources,
illegal occupancy of national forest system lands, and threats and
assaults against Forest Service employees.  In addition, drug
enforcement actions, authorized by the National Forest System Drug
Control Act of 1986, as amended, are designed to detect and prevent
the cultivation and manufacturing of marijuana on national forest
system lands. 


   NUMBER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
   EMPLOYEES
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 0:2

In fiscal year 1997, the Forest Service employed 479 law enforcement
officers, 149 special agents, 41 reserve law enforcement officers,
and 39 administrative support personnel.  With the exception of 16
staff that work in the Washington D.C.  office, these staff are
primarily assigned to field locations.  Law enforcement officers
perform and supervise a variety of duties that include the protection
of federal property and resources from natural or user-related
degradation, the provision of safety and interpretive information to
visitors, assisting search and rescue operations, assisting wildland
fire suppression, and other duties.  Special agents are involved in
planning and conducting investigations relating to alleged or
suspected violations of criminal laws.  Special agents require a
knowledge of such items as laws of evidence, criminal investigative
techniques, court decisions concerning the admissibility of evidence,
constitutional rights, search and seizure and related issues, and
other criminal investigative skills. 

The 41 reserve law enforcement officers' principal duties are outside
of law enforcement--such as timber or recreation.  These staff may be
called upon to perform law enforcement duties on an emergency or
as-needed basis.  Forest Service headquarters officials estimated
that reserve law enforcement officers spend between 10 percent and 35
percent of their time performing law enforcement duties. 
Administrative support personnel perform a variety of functions,
including data entry for case management, computer support, budget
preparation and analysis, procurement, and time and attendance. 


   COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH LAW
   ENFORCEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 0:3

The cost of law enforcement in the agency in fiscal year 1997
included about $43.8 million in payroll, and $18.4 million in support
costs.  The total annual payroll for fiscal year 1997 for the law
enforcement officers was about $29.5 million, while the payroll for
the special agents was about $12.6 million.  In fiscal year 1997, the
payroll for the administrative staff was about $1.7 million. 
According to Forest Service officials, no payroll information was
available for the 41 reserve law enforcement officers because their
principal duties were outside of law enforcement. 

In addition to payroll, in fiscal year 1997, the Forest Service spent
about $18.4 million in support costs for its law enforcement
personnel.  This included about $5.2 million for support costs to
regions and field units for rent, telephone, computer use, and radio
dispatching services; about $4.8 million for fleet equipment; about
$2.6 million for equipment and supplies; about $2.2 million for
travel; $1.3 million for transfer of station costs, and about $2.3
million for other costs, such as headquarters support, training,
uniforms, and special equipment. 

For the 1997 report, you asked us to provide information on the pay
scales of federal and nonfederal law enforcement personnel.  To
address this request, we obtained information from the Department of
Justice, which collected 1993 data on starting salaries for
entry-level law enforcement officers from 661 state and local law
enforcement agencies across the nation.  The data showed a wide range
of starting salaries from a low of about $10,000 in Louisiana to a
high of about $50,000 in California.  (A listing of the range in
salaries for each state can be found in app.  II.) As a comparison,
the Forest Service's entry-level salary in 1993 was $23,678. 


   OTHER ASPECTS OF FOREST SERVICE
   LAW ENFORCEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 0:4

To assist with providing law enforcement, the Forest Service
frequently enters into cooperative agreements with state and local
law enforcement agencies.  These cooperative agreements provide for
the enforcement of state and local laws on national forest system
lands.  In 1997, there were 717 cooperative agreements with state and
local law enforcement agencies.  Of these agreements, 546 were
cooperative patrol agreements, which involved conducting routine
patrols through the Forest Service's developed recreation areas, and
171 were agreements focusing on drug enforcement issues.  As part of
the agreement, the Forest Service reimburses the state and local
agency for the cost of its activities.  In fiscal year 1997, the
Forest Service paid about $6.3 million to reimburse state and local
law enforcement agencies for the costs of the services provided under
both patrol and drug enforcement cooperative agreements. 

For the 1997 report, you asked us to provide some information on how
frequently federal agencies such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) investigate crimes occurring on national forest lands. 
The FBI and DEA, as a general rule, have deferred to the Forest
Service the investigative responsibility for violations occurring
within national forest system lands.  The Forest Service does not
routinely collect information on referrals to FBI and DEA.  However,
according to the Forest Service, the FBI and DEA are rarely involved
in Forest Service criminal investigations.  The FBI has primary
jurisdiction for a number of crimes, including organized crime,
financial crime, foreign counterintelligence, civil rights, and
others.  By practice, the FBI does not involve itself with the types
of crimes handled by the Forest Service.  The Forest Service keeps
DEA informed of investigations that require investigative or
enforcement powers outside the boundaries of the national forest
system. 

The 1997 report also provided information on the number of offenses
that occurred on national forest system lands.  (An offense means
that a crime has occurred.  An arrest generally means that someone
has been identified as committing an offense.) In 1996, there were
3,481 offenses involving serious misdemeanors and felonies such as
assaults, grand theft, and murder, and 118,596 petty offenses such as
careless driving, discharging a firearm, use of firecrackers, alcohol
violations, and permit violations. 

Finally, the report provided information on the number of complaints
against Forest Service law enforcement personnel.  In preparing for
this testimony, we obtain updated information which showed that there
were 4 complaints in 1992; 13 complaints in 1993; 20 complaints in
1994; 25 complaints in 1995; 11 complaints in 1996; and 14 complaints
in 1997.  In 1997, as an example, the types of complaints made
against agency law enforcement staff included falsifying time and
attendance reports, verbal threats, obstruction of justice, and
inappropriate discharge of a weapon.  The Forest Service has a system
to track the investigation and resolution of complaints against law
enforcement staff.  Depending on the nature of the complaint, it will
either be investigated by agency regional human resources staff, the
Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General, Forest
Service law enforcement staff, or the Department of Justice. 


-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 0:4.1

This concludes my statement.  We would be happy to respond to any
questions that you or any other Members of the Subcommittee may have. 


COSTS AND STAFF ASSOCIATED WITH
THE FOREST SERVICE'S LAW
ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM, FISCAL YEAR
1997
=========================================================== Appendix I

                                              Cost     Number of Staff
------------------------------  ------------------  ------------------
Law Enforcement Officers                     $29.5                 479
Special Agents                               $12.6                 149
Administrative Staff                          $1.7                  39
Reserve Law Enforcement                      n/a\a                  41
 Officers
Support Activities\b                         $18.4                 n/a
Cooperative Agreements\c                      $6.3                 n/a
Total                                        $68.5                 708
----------------------------------------------------------------------
\a No payroll information was available for the 41 reserve law
enforcement officers because their principal duties were outside of
law enforcement. 

\b This included about $5.2 million for support costs to regions and
field units for rent, telephone, computer use, and radio dispatching
services; about $4.8 million for fleet equipment; about $2.6 million
for equipment and supplies; about $2.2 million for travel; $1.3
million for transfer of station costs, and about $2.3 million for
other costs, such as headquarters support, training, uniforms, and
special equipment. 

\c There were 717 cooperative agreements with state and local law
enforcement agencies. 


ANNUAL SALARIES OF NONFEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL, BY STATE
========================================================== Appendix II

                                                  Range in 1993 annual
                                          starting salaries for entry-
                                                 level law enforcement
                                          officers for sampled\a city,
State                                       county, and state agencies
----------------------------------------  ----------------------------
Alabama                                             $18,590 to $22,464
Alaska                                               $39,354 to 42,192
Arizona                                              $24,741 to 29,328
Arkansas                                             $18,402 to 21,346
California                                           $25,312 to 50,244
Colorado                                             $22,884 to 29,369
Connecticut                                          $25,000 to 37,102
Delaware                                             $27,403 to 29,080
District of Columbia                                 $25,108 to 26,820
Florida                                              $15,800 to 31,385
Georgia                                              $17,097 to 23,796
Hawaii                                               $27,240 to 29,424
Idaho                                                        $20,654\b
Illinois                                             $24,315 to 32,802
Indiana                                              $18,283 to 33,059
Iowa                                                 $24,252 to 29,531
Kansas                                               $22,670 to 26,400
Kentucky                                             $19,000 to 20,770
Louisiana                                            $10,200 to 20,532
Maine                                                $19,499 to 23,420
Maryland                                             $22,000 to 27,454
Massachusetts                                        $20,805 to 29,815
Michigan                                             $20,422 to 29,833
Minnesota                                            $25,000 to 33,346
Mississippi                                                  $20,904\b
Missouri                                             $18,000 to 25,985
Montana                                              $21,504 to 22,325
Nebraska                                             $21,489 to 31,335
Nevada                                               $23,230 to 31,147
New Hampshire                                        $23,700 to 27,997
New Jersey                                           $15,500 to 36,876
New Mexico                                           $17,855 to 20,904
New York                                             $20,890 to 34,717
North Carolina                                       $18,900 to 23,741
North Dakota                                                 $23,820\b
Ohio                                                 $18,188 to 33,616
Oklahoma                                            $18,000 to $25,390
Oregon                                               $22,076 to 32,172
Pennsylvania                                         $23,500 to 30,500
Rhode Island                                         $20,529 to 30,987
South Carolina                                       $17,484 to 23,150
South Dakota                                         $22,297 to 25,411
Tennessee                                            $17,810 to 25,247
Texas                                                $19,000 to 29,022
Utah                                                 $19,200 to 23,088
Vermont                                                      $18,720\b
Virginia                                             $19,040 to 30,723
Washington                                           $25,682 to 37,480
West Virginia                                        $20,976 to 21,659
Wisconsin                                            $19,714 to 29,873
Wyoming                                                      $18,828\b
----------------------------------------------------------------------
\a 661 state and local law enforcement agencies. 

\b Only one agency sampled. 

Source:  Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics,
1993:  Data for Individual State and Local Agencies With 100 or More
Officers, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs,
U.S.  Department of Justice. 


*** End of document. ***