The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), today alerted the President and Congress that the U.S. Forest Service (FS) failed to provide required emergency communication capabilities to agency law enforcement officers (LEO) working in national forests in Georgia and South Carolina.
Three LEO whistleblowers disclosed to OSC that radios provided by FS did not include the frequencies necessary to contact local Sheriff's Departments while performing their duties. This left them unable to transmit critical information to local police departments or fellow FS employees during emergencies unless they traveled to a location with better service. As a result of OSC's referral, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assigned investigators to examine these allegations. These investigators substantiated all of the whistleblowers' allegations, producing an investigative report finding significant deficiencies in the capabilities of the radios provided to LEOs working in the Chattahoochee‐Oconee National Forest in Georgia and the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina.
Since the investigation, USDA made significant improvements to LEO communications systems for these areas. FS immediately provided satellite telephones for emergency communications to LEOs in these national forests. And in the following months, FS installed radio equipment capable of using frequencies on state and local conventional radio systems in all law enforcement vehicles and obtained access to the relevant frequencies through agreements with local police departments. As of June 2024, USDA confirmed that LEOs in these two national forests have radio communication in all high-priority areas within their areas of responsibility.
Finally, the FS Chief Information Officer has sent weekly reports to the FS's Law Enforcement and Investigations Division to ensure timely resolution of any remaining communications issues.
“I thank the whistleblowers for bringing these serious allegations to OSC's attention and thank Secretary Vilsack for taking them seriously," said Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger. “As we have seen in the massive Park Fire in California and the numerous forest fires affecting National Forests throughout the Northwest, U.S. Forest Service employees manage hazardous situations in remote areas. It is critical that the Forest Service provide effective emergency communication to ensure the safety of their employees and visitors to our National Forests."
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