U.S. Park Police Chief Teresa C. Chambers has been ordered to stop talking to reporters temporarily, after saying this week that her force was overstretched and needed millions more dollars in funding, officials said.
Chambers was given the order by her boss in the National Park Service, who said she violated federal guidelines in interviews with The Washington Post and local radio and television stations.
_____From The Post_____
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Park Police Chief Fired After Dispute, Suspension (The Washington Post, Jul 10, 2004)
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Chief Chambers Faulted on Interviews (The Washington Post, Apr 15, 2004)
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Park Police Chief Vows to Fight for Job (The Washington Post, Apr 9, 2004)
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Park Police Chief Turns Down a Deal (The Washington Post, Jan 21, 2004)
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Park Police Chief Was Sabotaged, Lawyer Says (The Washington Post, Jan 11, 2004)
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'A Cop's Chief' Fights for Her Job (The Washington Post, Dec 29, 2003)
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Hoyer Calls For Return of Police Chief (The Washington Post, Dec 11, 2003)
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Park Police Chief Placed On Leave After Remarks (The Washington Post, Dec 6, 2003)
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Park Police Duties Exceed Staffing (The Washington Post, Dec 2, 2003)
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Don Murphy, the Park Service's deputy director, said Chambers's comments broke two federal rules: one barring public comment about ongoing budget discussions, the other prohibiting lobbying by someone in Chambers's position.
"The things that we were seeing were troublesome," Murphy said, "and we didn't want her to get into any more problems."
Murphy said that Chambers had not been suspended or otherwise disciplined. But he said he told her that she should not speak to the media until after she meets with Park Service officials tomorrow.
In an article in The Post on Tuesday, Chambers said she had to cut back police patrols across the area to meet a new requirement that four officers be posted outside each of the three major monuments on the Mall. Because of the decreased patrols, Chambers said, she was concerned that other parks and parkways were becoming less safe.
Chambers said that in the long run, her 620-member force needs as many as 800 additional officers. She said that there was a $12 million shortfall this year, and that she needed $8 million for next fiscal year.
Murphy said that statement ran contrary to rules that officials not discuss budgetary matters before a budget proposal is finished.
Sgt. Scott Fear, a park police spokesman, said Chambers was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), who sits on the committee that determines funding for the Park Service and Park Police, said yesterday he was unhappy with the order placed on Chambers. "The cardinal sin in this administration is to speak the truth in public," he said.
