Another
Whistleblower Silenced: Is Anyone Listening?
March 1
2005
Counterbias.com
by Teresa C. Chambers
The plight of whistleblowers – those employees who sound the
alarm about anything from dangerous conditions in the workplace to
missed or ignored intelligence regarding our nation’s security – is
a story that seems to grow stronger and with more frequency every
day. My guess is that those stories have always been there; I
suspect I am just paying closer attention to them now.
You see, I joined the “ranks” of whistleblowers more than one year
ago when, on December 2, 2003, a major newspaper printed a story in
which I confirmed for them what many of us already knew – we, the
members of the United States Park Police, could no longer provide
the level of service that citizens and visitors had grown to expect
in our parks and on our parkways in Washington, D.C., New York City,
and San Francisco. The world changed for all of us on September 11,
2001, and the expectations of police agencies across the country
grew exponentially overnight. As the Chief of the United States Park
Police, an organization responsible for some of America’s most
valued and recognizable symbols of freedom, I knew it was my duty,
as chiefs of police across the country do every day, to inform the
community of the realities of the situation.
For being candid -- for being "honest" -- while still being
supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my
law enforcement authority, badge, and firearm, and escorted from the
Department of the Interior by armed special agents of another
Federal law enforcement entity last December (2003). Seven months
later, the Department of the Interior terminated me.
Frighteningly, the issues I brought to light about our citizens' and
visitors' safety and security and the future of these American icons
have not been addressed -- other than to silence me. In fact, there
are fewer United States Park Police Officers today than there were
when I was sent home for daring to say that we weren't able to
properly meet our commitments with existing resources. Other
security concerns I raised internally have also gone un-addressed.
Imagine the outcry if I had previously stayed silent and if one of
those symbolic monuments or memorials had been destroyed or the loss
of life had occurred to someone visiting one of those locations. I
did not want to be standing with my superiors among the ruins of one
of these icons or in front of a Congressional committee trying to
explain why we hadn't asked for help.
Despite the serious First Amendment and security implications of my
case for each American, there has been no Congressional
intervention, no Congressional hearings, no demand of accountability
by elected officials for those who took action to silence me and who
have ignored all warnings about the perils to which I alerted them.
Following my termination and the publicity that accompanied it, it
is unlikely that any current Federal employee will be willing to
speak up with straightforward, accurate information about the
realities of any danger we face.
Our legal appeals continue, and some of the administrative charges
placed against me have already been thrown out. Through it all, it
is becoming clear that Federal employees have little protection for
simply telling the truth.
My story is told on a website, www.honestchief.com, established
nearly one year ago and maintained by my husband so that the
American people could “witness” the issues in this case. The website
has provided transparency to my situation by making key documents
available for viewing, including the transcripts of depositions of
top officials and their testimony during a recent administrative
hearing.
Suppression of information is spreading – gag orders, non
disclosures agreements, and the government’s refusal to turn over
documents. In agencies that span Federal service, conscientious
public servants are struggling to communicate vital concerns to
their true employers – you, the American public. Is anyone
listening?
Teresa C. Chambers, former chief of the U.S. Park Police, was
fired by The Interior Department seven months after suspending her
for going public with her concerns about money and staffing. She can
be contacted at
tcchambers@honestchief.com.
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