Posted on 02/04/2008 5:29:01 PM PST by Marc Tumin
The U.S. Park Police have failed to adequately protect such national landmarks as the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and are plagued by low morale, poor leadership and bad organization, according to a new government report.
The force is understaffed, insufficiently trained and woefully equipped, the report by the Interior Department's inspector general concludes. Hallowed sites on the Mall are weakly guarded and vulnerable to terrorist attack, the inspector general's office found.
The report includes a photograph of what it says is an officer apparently sleeping in a patrol vehicle at the Jefferson Memorial. It describes a Park Police officer doing a crossword puzzle. And it recounts someone leaving a suitcase against the south wall of the Washington Monument, where it sat unattended for five minutes until its owner reclaimed it.
Park Police Chief Dwight E. Pettiford, although not identified by name, is singled out for criticism, and one of the report's 20 recommendations is that the National Park Service examine whether he is "equipped to effectively advance the mission and operations of the agency."
Pettiford yesterday defended the work of the force under his command, saying in a telephone interview that he inherited some of the problems identified in the report when he took command in 2004. Others are being addressed, he said, adding that he has essentially done the best with what he has.
"We've continued to move the mission forward under my tenure," he said. "It's moved further than it has in the last 15 years. We will continue to move it forward as long as I'm the chief."
Asked about the accusation that the monuments were not adequately protected, the police chief declared: "They're still standing."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Just wait til the Clintons are back in power. Their number one duty will become protecting Her Heinous’ power - as they did for them before after Vince Foster’s mur...uh death.
Not like he has had four years to fix them...
Just so long as we are keeping an eye on things like power plants and bridges.
What do we do about that?
The landmark I’m really concerned with is the southern border. Apparently terrorists can’t waltz over it, huh? Jeez, talk about priorities.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.