Author: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN: 9781539825913 Category : Languages : en Pages : 56
Book Description
Law enforcement activities on federal land are conducted by several agencies under a variety of authorities. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has a force of 200 Law Enforcement Rangers (uniformed officers) and 70 Special Agents (criminal investigators). BLM law enforcement authority is derived from the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976. Local Sheriffs and citizens are increasingly raising concerns about law enforcement on federal lands. Some of the issues include: 1) over-reach by federal land law enforcement officers (LEO) in enforcing laws beyond their jurisdiction; 2) lack of coordination with state and local law enforcement; 3) lack of accountability and oversight for federal land LEO's; 4) instances of militarization; and 5) lack of integration with other agency staff functions; e.g., fire suppression, recreation, forestry, etc. Many conflicts are rooted in altercations between federal agents and private landowners and other citizens, which are increasing in frequency. The behavior of federal law enforcement officials has been demonstrably aggressive, unwarranted, and excessive. In a myriad of examples, federal agents have needlessly harassed or intimidated private landowners, public land users, and other citizens or otherwise abused their power in the enforcement of federal environmental laws.
Author: United States. Congress Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN: 9781979961813 Category : Languages : en Pages : 56
Book Description
Accountability, policies, and tactics of law enforcement within the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service : oversight hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, first session, Tuesday, July 28, 2015.
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Natural Resources. Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Publisher: ISBN: Category : Forest rangers Languages : en Pages : 52
Author: Jeffrey J. Noble Publisher: Waveland Press ISBN: 147860980X Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 344
Book Description
Police officers are invested with awesome powers and may use physical force to take a citizen into custody. These powers help the police enforce laws and control suspects, but they also have the potential to be abused. The police must be responsive and accountable about crime and safety, but they must also be responsive and accountable to the law and the rights of citizens. Police abuse of power has a long and unfortunate history in the United States, often because of the failure to develop meaningful procedures to ensure police accountability. This book introduces the reader to a unit of the police department that has been secretive and lacking transparency, despite being an integral part of policing for a number of years. Noble and Alpert clearly explain the structure and function of internal affairs or professional compliance units and provide guidance for establishing an effective unit that will benefit both the police and the community. One recent trend is to make internal affairs more proactive than reactive. The authors provide comprehensive coverage of this trends objectives: implement procedures to identify and modify improper actions by police officers; change policies and procedures that negatively affect citizens quality of life; take appropriate action so that the misconduct of a few officers does not detract from the overall mission and reputation of the agency; and conduct fair, thorough, and accurate investigations to protect police employees against false accusations of misconduct.
Author: United States. Government Accountability Office Publisher: DIANE Publishing ISBN: 9781422311608 Category : Law enforcement Languages : en Pages : 60
Author: Anu K. Mittal Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 11
Book Description
The Forest Service, within the Department of Agriculture, manages over 190 million acres of national forest and grasslands. The agency is responsible for managing its lands for various purposes--including recreation, grazing, timber harvesting, and others--while ensuring that such activities do not impair the lands' long-term productivity. Numerous GAO reports examining different aspects of Forest Service programs--including a testimony before this Subcommittee in 2009--have identified persistent management challenges facing the agency. In light of the federal deficit and long-term fiscal challenges facing the nation, the Forest Service cannot ensure that it is spending its limited budget effectively and efficiently without addressing these challenges. This testimony highlights some of the management challenges facing the Forest Service today and is based on recent reports GAO has issued on a variety of the agency's activities. In 2009, GAO highlighted management challenges that the Forest Service faced in three key areas--wildland fire management, data on program activities and costs, and financial and performance accountability. The Forest Service has made some improvements, but challenges persist in each of these three areas. In addition, recent GAO reports have identified additional challenges related to program oversight and strategic planning. Strategies are still needed to ensure effective use of wildland fire management funds. In numerous previous reports, GAO has highlighted the challenges the Forest Service faces in protecting the nation against the threat of wildland fire. The agency continues to take steps to improve its approach, but it has yet to take several key steps--including developing a cohesive wildland fire strategy that identifies potential long-term options for reducing hazardous fuels and responding to fires--that, if completed, would substantially strengthen wildland fire management. Incomplete data on program activities remain a concern. In 2009, GAO concluded that long-standing data problems plagued the Forest Service, hampering its ability to manage its programs and account for its costs. While GAO has not comprehensively reviewed the quality of all Forest Service data, shortcomings identified during several recent reviews reinforce these concerns. For example, GAO recently identified data gaps in the agency's system for tracking appeals and litigation of Forest Service projects and in the number of abandoned hardrock mines on its lands. Even with improvements, financial and performance accountability shortcomings persist. Although its financial accountability has improved, the Forest Service continues to struggle to implement adequate internal controls over its funds and to demonstrate how its expenditures relate to the goals in the agency's strategic plan. For example, in 2010 Agriculture reported that the agency needed to improve controls over its expenditures for wildland fire management and identified the wildland fire suppression program as susceptible to significant improper payments. Additional challenges related to program oversight and strategic planning have been identified. Several recent GAO reviews have identified additional challenges facing the Forest Service, which the agency must address if it is to effectively and efficiently fulfill its mission. Specifically, the agency has yet to develop a national land tenure strategy that would protect the public's interest in land exchanges and return fair value to taxpayers from such exchanges. In addition, it has yet to take recommended steps to align its workforce planning with its strategic plan, which may compromise its ability to carry out its mission; for example, it has not adequately planned for the likely retirement of firefighters, which may reduce the agency's ability to protect the safety of both people and property. Finally, the Forest Service needs a more systematic, risk-based approach to allocate its law-enforcement resources. Without such an approach it cannot be assured that it is deploying its resources effectively against illegal activities on the lands it manages. GAO has made a number of recommendations intended to improve the Forest Service's management of wildland fires, strengthen its collection of data, increase accountability, and improve program management. The Forest Service has taken steps to implement many of these recommendations, but additional action is needed if the agency is to make further progress in rectifying identified shortcomings.
Author: Daniel E. Bromberg Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 1108967620 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 118
Book Description
Accountability is a staple of Public Administration scholarship, but scholars have been unsuccessful at developing a predictive model of accountable behavior. Large swaths of research about accountability still focuses on scarcely read annual reports as video footage of police encounters are watched and discussed by citizens regularly. In this Element, we seek to further a predictive model of accountability by understanding the norms and expectations associated with the implementation of Body-Worn Cameras. Specifically, this research examines when police departments release, or do not release, footage to the public and the expectations civilians have about the release of that footage. Indirectly, the norms and expectations associated with this technology have broad implications for societal values and the relationship between civilians and law enforcement. Our findings suggest the relationship between law enforcement and civilians is central to the implementation of this policy, and more broadly, accountability.
Author: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Author: United States. Congress
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Natural Resources. Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Author: United States. Forest Service
Author: Jeffrey J. Noble
Author: United States. Government Accountability Office
Author: Anu K. Mittal
Author: Daniel E. Bromberg
Author: 
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