Think the National Mall is Safe? Think Again.

With GW’s campus just blocks away from the National Mall, students may be alarmed to find that the monuments are not being adequately protected, according to a report by the Interior Department’s Inspector General.

The report found that the U.S. Park Police, who protect the National Mall, Statue of Liberty, and Golden Gate Bridge among other locations, are understaffed, poorly trained, and are without the equipment necessary for protecting visitors. As reported in the Washington Post, these inadequacies leave sites like the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument vulnerable to terrorist attack.

The 40-page report includes claims of security guards sleeping, reading, and talking on cell phones while on duty. According to one observation, a briefcase was left unattended at the base of the Washington Monument for five minutes before the owner returned to claim it.  Asked by a reporter about the inadequate protection of national monuments Police Chief Dwight E. Pettiford said, "They're still standing."

Some claim that officials knew of the problems years ago. In 2005 U.S. Park Police Chief Teresa Chambers was forced from office when she spoke to the press about budget and staffing problems thereby violating a federal law prohibiting her discussion of that topic.  According to the Washington Post, security at national landmarks has increased with the addition of barriers and carefully planned landscaping. Staffing, however, has decreased since 2001. 

Established by George Washington in 1791, the U.S. Park Police now includes 592 sworn officers, 97 civilian employees, and 30 private security officers spread throughout the country. It is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, which is within the Department of the Interior.

-Jesse Regis