U. S. Park Police Fraternal Order of Police
United States Park Police flying a MEDEVAC from Anacostia National Park, Washington, DC.
Lincoln Memorial Visitation- Ten Minutes in 15 Seconds
Wed. 6/7/2017 1:20 pm- The United States Park Police is responsible for protecting visitors to our Nation’s Capital. Visitation has increased 41% since 1990. However, the force has been recklessly understaffed by the National Park Service for decades. The Park Police is over 250 officers short of safe staffing levels established in 1999. We need your assistance to bring attention to this issue and your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Recent Articles About USPP Understaffing
List of links to 6 recent articles about the reckless understaffing of the United States Park Police by the National Park Service:
5/11/2017
(USPPFOP)- “NPS Anacostia River Trail Safety”
5/11/2017
(FEDERAL TIMES)- “Park Police staffing shrinking despite increased need, says watchdog”
5/9/2017
(PEER)- “U.S. PARK POLICE FORCE LEVELS DROPPING – ESPECIALLY IN DC” https://www.peer.org/…/u.s.-park-police-force-levels-droppi…
5/9/2017
(EENEWS)- “NATIONAL PARKS- Police union wants Zinke to split force from NPS”
4/28/2017
(USPPFOP)- “Holding The Line – Increasingly Difficult”
Photograph: Protest on north side of White House – Circa 2014
NPS Anacostia River Trail Safety
Poor design & no USPP officer positions created to patrol the trail-
Poor planning for emergency service access to trail-
The National Park Service’s Anacostia River Trail along the banks of the Anacostia River is about seven miles long. The trail runs between the South Capitol Street Bridge and the Maryland line. Since the trail opened visitation has been steadily increasing as more portions of the trail are completed. That’s a problem because the National Park Service (NPS) designed and built the trail without carefully considering visitor safety. The design of the trail increases the difficulty of delivering emergency services to trail users. In specific areas of the trail, the design limits or prevents access for automobiles, fire equipment, and ambulances. This complicates responding to critical incidents on the trail.
