National Park Service Working To Bolster Special Agent Ranks

By Kurt Repanshek - January 5th, 2023

The National Park Service is working to increase its ranks of special agents/NPS file

Top National Park Service officials say they are working to bolster the ranks of special agents in the National Park System, and has formed a task force to examine the matter and propose solutions.

Last week the Traveler reported that the ranks of special agents had dropped by 45 percent since 2003 due to funding shortages. Today there are just 30 special agents, down from 55 in 2003.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility had obtained an internal memo from Jennifer Flynn, the Park Service's associate director for visitor and resource protection, that noted the drop in agents. Part of the memo, which went out to regional Park Service directors and superintendents, said the shortage of agents meant that the remaining agents will not get involved with “felony investigations of property crimes, and crimes against society such as serious drug-related offenses."

According to PEER, the latest annual report (2020) from the NPS Investigative Services Branch estimates that felony investigations of property crimes and serious drug-related offenses represent approximately one-fifth of the current workload.

Flynn, in an email to the Traveler on Wednesday, said the agency is "aware of the challenges outlined by PEER and are aggressively working to address them."

"Over the last 90 days, the National Park Service has initiated a task force comprised of senior leaders across the Service to examine this particular issue and recommend solutions," she added. "In addition, NPS continues to fill vacant positions. As we continue to work through this process, we are focusing our agents first and foremost on crimes that impact visitor safety and the degradation of our nation's most cherished resources."

Flynn stressed that "all crimes in parks are properly investigated."

"While not every park has a special agent stationed there, ISB agents are dispatched as needed to investigate particularly complex, sensitive, and long-term cases for crimes throughout the National Park System," she said. "However, not all crimes require support from special agents with ISB. In many cases, law enforcement park rangers and our mutual aid partners investigate crimes that occur in parks."

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