Teresa Chambers is an American law enforcement officer and a former chief of the

United States Park Police The United States Park Police (USPP) is the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the United States. It functions as a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas ...

(USPP). She took office as the U.S. Park Police chief on January 31, 2011, but previously served as the U.S. Park Police chief from February 2002 until December 2003, when she was dismissed from the position.

Early life and education

Chambers earned her

Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in law enforcement and criminology from the

University of Maryland University College The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is a public university in College Park, Maryland, and the largest institution in the University System of Maryland. Established in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies of the U ...

and earned a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in applied behavioral science with a concentration in community development from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. She is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI's National Executive Institute.

Career

Chambers served as the chief of the Durham Police Department in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, and served with the Prince George's County Police Department in

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

for over twenty years. She also served as the chief of the Riverdale Park Police Department in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Firing

Chambers was fired after speaking with a reporter for ''The Washington Post'' in detail about her concerns that new requirements instituted by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

to double the number of stationary guards at Washington, D.C. monuments, together with budget shortfalls in the Park Police budget were an increasing risk. The U.S. Park Police administration and the force's union have said they fear that the stationary posts on the Mall have hurt anti-terrorism efforts, because fewer officers are able to patrol in the area. Chambers said that she does not disagree with having four officers outside the monuments but that she would also want to have officers in plainclothes or able to patrol rather than simply standing guard in uniform. Chambers said:

My greatest fear is that harm or death will come to a visitor or employee at one of our parks, or that we're going to miss a key thing at one of our icons.

The incident has been discussed in a larger context as an example of how

whistleblower Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...

s in U.S. federal agencies are silenced. As Tom Shoop wrote in Govexec.com, a business news site for U.S. federal managers and executives:

...a shoot-the-messenger attitude is beginning to prevail when it comes to areer federal service employeeschallenging the conventional wisdom.

Appeal and reinstatement

During the time in which Chambers awaited her federal employee appeal, she worked as the police chief of

Riverdale Park, Maryland Riverdale Park, formerly known and often referred to as Riverdale, is a semi-urban town in Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, a suburb in the Washington metropolitan area, Washington, D.C., metropo ...

. On Tuesday, January 11, 2011 the Merit Systems Protection Board ordered the Park Police to reinstate Chambers within 20 days. The

United States Department of Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relating t ...

, the parent agency for the United States Park Police, was also ordered to pay her retroactively dating back to July 2004.O'Keefe, Ed
"Fired Park Police chief Teresa Chambers ordered reinstated"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' (January 11, 2011). Retrieved March 11, 2011 She was granted reimbursement for legal fees. On January 21, 2011, Chambers resumed her position as Chief of the U.S. Park Police after the incumbent chief agreed to step aside. Chief Chambers retired from this post in December 2013.

Bibliography

* CNN
Ex-chief of Park Police denounces firing
* ''The Washington Post''

* Govexec.co
"Speak No Evil"
* About.co

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060418010916/http://www.nps.gov/uspp/chiepag2.htm United States Park Police

References

External links

''WaPo'' story on Chamber's ruling and reinstatement

HonestChief.com
Teresa Chambers' support page
Original Washington Post article
''Park Police Duties Exceed Staffing: Anti-Terror Demands Have Led Chief to Curtail Patrols Away From Mall''
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Follow the case by viewing "In the Chief's Corner." {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Teresa American women police officers American municipal police chiefs American whistleblowers FBI National Academy graduates Living people Law enforcement officials from North Carolina Law enforcement officials from Maryland People from Durham, North Carolina People from Prince George's County, Maryland National Park Service personnel Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women