DOI law enforcement reorganization pushed

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2002

A Republican lawmaker who has been critical of law enforcement failures at the FBI on Tuesday urged Secretary of Interior Gale Norton to correct gaffes within her department's sprawling police force.

Calling a recent internal audit "one of the most damning indictments of a federal law enforcement agency that I have ever read," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of a Senate subcommittee on crime and drugs, said changes are in order. "The report is a wake-up call for reform and highlights that there has been little to no oversight of Interior's law enforcement in the past several years," he wrote in a letter to Norton.

"Given the size and magnitude of your collective law enforcement force, I expect that prompt correction of the deficiencies addressed in the report will rise to one of your highest priorities," he continued.

Responsible for patrolling the nation's national treasures, federal lands, sensitive public works projects and reservations which span international borders, the Interior has nearly 4,400 officers on call. But according to the Devaney report, which was issued in January, there is no one in charge of the department's disparate police forces.

"Most law enforcement offices are under the direction of managers who have limited or no law enforcement experience or training," Devaney, a Clinton appointee, wrote in the 51-page report. While commending the people on the ground, he uncovered obstinance, an "unwillingness" to listen and a lack of leadership at higher levels.

He added: "This management approach, combined with the department�s hands-off philosophy, has resulted in chronic frustration on the part of the Departmental law enforcement officers and a disquieting state of disorder."

With the nation focused on homeland security after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the audit has taken on added meaning. To better serve the nation, Devaney recommends a deputy assistant secretary be established to have clear authority over the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation and other forces.

The report also carries significance for Indian Country, whose officers are too often underpaid, understaffed and overworked. Tomorrow, the BIA is adding three names to its memorial of fallen agents, a list which reads 78 strong and includes many whose deaths colleagues say were preventable.

As a former state attorney general, Norton has taken a great interest in the issue and in fact requested the audit. In addition to considering Devaney's suggestions, she immediately created a senior level position last October to handle law enforcement and security.

The post reports to Lynn Scarlett, the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget. Devaney called this "the first of many changes necessary to solve the chronic problems that have plagued DOI law enforcement for decades."

Norton personally reached out to Indian Country as well, calling the widow of Creighton Spencer, a BIA officer who died last March while responding to a call. Working an average of 55 hours a week to cover a number of reservations in the eastern part of Nevada, he frequently traveled long distances.

Norton called his death "tragic" during a radio appearance a year ago this week.

The DOI police force is the third largest in the federal government and most (2,100) work for the NPS, according to 2001 department statistics. About 550 work for the BIA although this figure did not include tribes that contract law enforcement services.

Relevant Links:
Law Enforcement Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs - http://bialaw.fedworld.gov