Park Police Rebuked For Weak Security

The Park Police have 592 sworn officers, 97 civilian employees and 30 private security guards. The agency helps patrol sites mostly in Washington but also is present at the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge.

There have been several reviews critical of the force in recent years. The current assessment began in April after a Fraternal Order of Police survey suggested that Park Police officers were inadequately trained and equipped and that the monuments were not as safe as they could be.

The probe ended several months ago. The report's summary says the Park Police have struggled for years to handle the competing missions of protecting monuments and working as an urban police agency.

Consequently, the agency "has failed to adequately perform either mission, which has resulted in deficient security at national icons and monuments and an inability to effectively conduct police operations," the report says.

A major result is insufficient staffing at important sites. The report quotes a mid-level manager at the Statue of Liberty: "The truth is that we are not covering the posts. It's all smoke and mirrors."

Locally, private security guards have been hired to augment the force, but the inspector general found that some were ineffective, inattentive and apparently ill-trained. The report includes a photograph of what it says were private security guards at the Washington Monument, one reading a newspaper, the other talking on a cellphone.

It also recounts an incident last summer in which two protesters climbed into the lap of the Abraham Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial while confused-looking private security guards stood by and watched. There were no Park Police on hand for several minutes.

The report further states that Park Police officers were critical of the private guards, saying there was little cooperation or communication with them and that some did not speak English. It says the private security contractor was being replaced.

The inspector general's team made 40 visits to Washington sites. On three visits, no officers could be found, and on two dozen others, minimum staffing levels were not being met, the report says. It quotes an assistant Park Police chief as saying that the force was trying to be "as unobtrusive as possible because being more visible is a sign of defeat." The same commander said that terrorists "are not incredibly sophisticated," the report says.

A system of surveillance cameras is an aid but not a cure-all, the report says, because not all the cameras work and they do not appear to be constantly monitored.

The report also criticizes the force for failing to monitor the quality and wear and tear on officers' ballistic vests and for equipping its officers with old, high-mileage patrol cars.

Pettiford argued yesterday that he is dealing with long-standing problems. "We have new vehicles in the pipeline already," he said. "Our vehicles are coming."