Teresa Chambers, the whistleblowing former U.S. Parks Police chief is in court once again fighting for her old job back. Chambers, who was suspended last December — and ultimately fired in July by the Interior Department, had complained publicly that her agency was understaffed and underfunded, leaving security of Washington’s memorials and park land in jeopardy. This, of course, didn’t sit too well with her superiors. Her suspension and firing, brought politicians into the fray, including the House Minority Whip, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who called for Chambers to be reinstated.
WTOP reports that Chambers will probably testify today before a U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board judge, which evaluates employment compaints of federal workers.
DCist would like to note that the National Parks Service and its police department seem to be underfunded. U.S. park land in the District away from the National Mall and monumental core see little in the way of police patrols, a fact highlighted by the recent sexual assault in Glover Archbold Park. Also remember it took Ronald Reagan’s death to get Waterside Drive, which falls under NPS jurisdiction, finally repaved after years of neglect. (It would have been bad for the former president’s hearse to have been jostled all about on the pox-marked roadway.)
