By Marty Niland, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Park Service offered not to press charges against embattled U.S. Park Police Chief Teresa Chambers in exchange for a gag order, Chambers’ attorney said Tuesday.
The offer was made on Dec. 12, six days before the Park Service announced it wanted to fire Chambers. It was first reported on the Web site of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group advocating for Chambers. A PEER spokesman said the information came from U.S. Senate employees who were briefed on the meeting.
Chambers’ attorney, Peter Noone, acknowledged that there was a meeting between Chambers and Don Murphy, the deputy director of the Park Service. He would not characterize the meeting, but he confirmed the information posted on the PEER Web site.
“I can tell you that nothing in that story is inaccurate,” Noone said.
Elaine Sevy, a Park Service spokeswoman, declined to comment.
According to PEER, Murphy offered not to press charges of releasing sensitive information, lobbying, insubordination and breaking the chain of command. In return, Chambers was asked not to speak with the media or Congress without prior approval.
Chambers rejected the offer, because she was concerned that micromanagement and interference would make her and the police force ineffective, said Jeff Ruch, PEER’s executive director. Six days later, the Park Service informed her of plans to fire her.
“This means that the charges against her were trumped up to apply political pressure,” said Ruch. “First they offered not to press them, then they said the charges were so serious that the only solution is termination.”
Details of the meeting were supposed to be confidential, Ruch said, but the Park Service violated the confidentiality agreement by briefing the staff of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on the meeting.
A spokeswoman from Collins’ office said it was possible that people in the office had been briefed, but she was unaware of it.
Chambers was suspended and stripped of her police powers on Dec. 5, three days after she told several media outlets that she had been forced to cut back on patrols across the area. She said her officers were required to guard national monuments instead. She also said her department had a $12 million budget shortfall this year and needed $8 million for next fiscal year.
After the Park Service announced plans to Fire Chambers, she submitted a response, which officials are still reviewing, Noone said. The Park Service can either uphold the decision to fire her, rescind it or impose some kind of disciplinary action. Noone said if her firing is upheld, he would appeal to the Merit System Protection Board.
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On the Net:
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: http://www.peer.org
Support Teresa Chambers: http://www.honestchief.com
National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov