Norton Wants More Park Police on Mall Before Cherry Blossom Season (2/25/08)

Norton Wants Park Police Beefed Up for Protection of Residents and Before Cherry Blossom Season
February 25, 2008

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), who expects a hearing about staff shortages and other problems in the U.S. Park Police, today said that, "staff increases and improvements in the Park Police need to be made before the start of the Cherry Blossom season this spring." Recalling the five muggings on the Mall in 2006, Norton said the difference between the number of Park Police and Capitol Police is "a marker to use in measuring whether there has been serious neglect of the Park Police." She said that the U.S. Capitol Police, who are responsible only for the Capitol complex, has 1,700 officers covering only 276 acres. However, the Park Police, which covers the entire Metropolitan region, has only about one third as many or 576 officers covering vastly more territory in the region, at 6,735 acres.

Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands, told Norton on the House Floor in response to her February 4, 2008 letter requesting hearings, that the Subcommittee already had planned Park Police hearings before the release of the Inspector General's "Assessment of the United States Park Police" earlier this month. After the assaults on the Mall two years ago, the Congresswoman found problems in virtually all aspects of Park Police operations, including severe shortages of police patrols. "I am concerned about the monuments, but to be candid, I am far more worried about the safety of residents and visitors who will come out in large numbers on the Mall, in Rock Creek and Anacostia parks, and other parks in the region protected by the Park Police."