The Department of the Interior is restructuring the U.S. Park Police, moving its leadership one step closer to the White House by placing the chief under direct supervision of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
In an order signed by Burgum, Chief Jessica Taylor will now report directly to Burgum or a designated official, bypassing the traditional chain of command within the National Park Service. Burgum or his designee, according to the order, “will provide strategic management and operational control of the USPP.”
Signed Aug. 25, the order removes the National Park Service director and the assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks from any supervisory role over the police force, though they will continue to provide administrative support.
The move comes as the force continues to grapple with chronic understaffing and, in recent weeks, an increased workload tied to President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in D.C.
It also follows a recent executive order from Trump calling for a rapid expansion of the force, with the U.S. Park Police Fraternal Order of Police saying new hires will be drawn from those with prior law enforcement experience.
Past controversies still cast a shadow
Burgum also recently announced a change to relax pursuit policies for the agency.
The Interior Department said the change reflects the evolving role of the U.S. Park Police, whose jurisdiction now extends well beyond national parks.
“It recognizes that the USPP jurisdiction and responsibility, particularly in the National Capital Region, extends beyond National Park System assets and implicates equities of other Federal agencies and virtually all local jurisdictions, which makes it essential for the USPP to be managed at the highest levels of Department of the Interior,” the order reads.
The Interior Department shared a statement from a U.S. Park Police spokesperson with WTOP, saying the force recognizes the increasingly important role its officers play in protecting “our nation’s federal lands, national treasures, symbols of democracy, as well as our public safety component in Washington, D.C.”
“As visibility increases, so too does our resolve — to serve with honor, integrity, and service,” the statement read.
It’s unclear what impact the change will have on the department, which has seen controversies in the past, among them the clearing of Lafayette Park during protests of the death of George Floyd in June 2020.
The clearing sparked claims that it was timed to coincide with Trump’s visit to St. John’s Church, which had been damaged during the protests.
The Interior Department’s inspector general ultimately found the clearing was not ordered due to the presidential visit, but rather to allow fencing installation, though the incident raised serious concerns about communication failures.
There were also concerns of delays in the release of information and a lack of transparency from the force and the Interior Department after two officers shot and killed Bijan Ghaisar after a car chase on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in 2017.
The officers in that shooting were later cleared of wrongdoing after a lengthy investigation and legal process.
Police union supports direct line to the top
Ken Spencer, chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police, praised Burgum’s decision to change the reporting structure for USPP.
“I think it’s a great change, and I think it’s something that needed to happen,” Spencer said.
He explained that the previous reporting structure created layers of red tape for the USPP, and believes the change will result in more resources, better funding and stronger public advocacy for the force.
While acknowledging past struggles with transparency, Spencer said the new structure will help Park Police continue making strides in that area.
“It always depends on who’s in charge of the administration, but I believe this will definitely improve transparency with the United States Park Police being able to go directly to the Department of Interior,” Spencer said.
Asked whether the move could politicize the department, Spencer noted that both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management already report directly to the Interior Department. He said given the complexity of Park Police’s mission, reporting directly to the top benefits everyone.
“If it gets politicized, then that’s on whatever administration is in charge,” Spencer said.
Several area lawmakers were contacted for comment about the change and several offices indicated to WTOP that they had not yet seen the order.
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