Evening star., 1961-08-20

four-year period.
The Investigations. one in
ported reports that the 1877
man park police force has beer
rocked by intrigues, personal
feuds. and outside interference
for the last twenty-five years.
Structure Blamed
The report of the latest in
vestigation, conducted by DR.
Peter P. Lejins of the Univer-
sity of Maryland criminology
department, indicated that the
dissension spanned too long a
period to be blamed on one
group of men.
DR.. Lejins blamed certain
continuing factors in the or
ganizational structure of the
police force and the setting in
which it operates" for the his
tory Of difficulties beSieging the
force.
Both reports were compiled
at the request of the Depart
ment Of Interior, parent body
of the police unit and the
agency now attempting to re-
organize the force. Assistant
Interior Secretary John A. Car
yer, jr., has been assigned to
oversee the reorganization pro-
ceedure.
Mr.. Carver has said that
there is an urgent need to set
tie the problem of park police
morale. At a press conference
Tuesday, he said reorganiza-
ton plans were underway but
he failed to mention Interior
Department plans to start the
reorganization by removing
Harold F. Stewart as chief OF
the department.
Earlier, he inferred that if
Chief Stewart won't retire
from the force, he could be
transferred to another position
in the National Park Service
Mr.. Carver said that there are
several suggestions for the re-
organization of the police
force, including one plan tc
make 1t a Ranger-type unit
with less police responsibility.
But the two investigations OF
the force indicate that despite
present feuds in the depart
ment, the primary cause of dis
satisfaction lies in organiza-
tional structure.
The first report was made in
1857 by Donald S. Leonard OF
Detroit, a consultant on police
administration. Mr.. Leonard's
report was concerned with the
internal administration of the
force and not specifically with
the current rift between sup.
porters and opponents of Chief
Stewart.
Mr.. Leonard suggested thai
the chief Of the park police
no matter who he may be
does not have the proper powel
over his force. The consultant
noted that the park police chic
had to clear promotions, anc
disciplinary matters with of.
ficialS in National Capita
Parks, the National Park Serv.
ice, and sometimes with ever
higher echelonS of the interior
Department.
Both he and DR.. Lejins sug,
gested that one of the mos
immediate needs of the force
was a trial board. This board
similar to the one in the Met
ropolitan Police Force ant
most other police departments
would allow the high-rankinl
police officials to disciplin,
their own men.
Discipline Handicapped
Both men noted that dis
ciplinary problems had to b,
referred to higher echelons. DR.
LejinS discovered that SOM
policemen used political or So
cial connections to fight diSci
plinary action in the Interiol
chain Of command.
Legislation to set up a tria
board was scheduled for intro,
duction in Congress this ses'
sion. But on Thursday the
House National Parks subcom.
mittee passed over the bill be-
cause OF the controversy now
surrounding Chief Stewart anc
his opponents within the de.
partment.
There apparently is a pos
sibility that the Legislation
could still be activated in the
last days of the congressional
session. The probability of this
action is slight, House observ.
ers said.
DR.. Lejins' report noted thai
the department was divided
into two camps-those favorine
the chief and those opposed tt
his administration. He observed
that personal animosities have
reached a degree difficult tt
match"
Long DiscOrd Noted
The Lejins report. made or
the basis of a series of conf,
Dental interviews over ar
eight-month period, was con.
cerned primarily with the prob.
lem of morale.
He noted several times, how.
ever, that discord in the force
had been as prevalent in the
1930s and 40s as it is today. He
said that this led him to believe
that the primary causes of the
difficulty were not the person.
alities presently involved.
He said the long range char.
acteristics of the diSsension'
prove that there must bt
certain continuing factors II
the organizational structure o.
the police force and the setting
in which it operates which
makes this discord possible"
In capsule form, here are