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Dept. of Interior
Seeks Law Enforcement Authority Washington, D.C. - 12/5/01 - Circulating inside Interior is a draft bill, which would give specific DOI employees full law enforcement authority. The draft title of the bill is “Department of Interior Law Enforcement Clarification Act of 2001.” It specifically authorizes DOI officers to carry firearms, make arrests without a warrant, execute orders, warrants or subpoenas and other powers usually reserved to Federal Law Enforcement agencies and local sheriffs and police. At every opportunity, DOI has tried to acquire this authority, most recently by rewriting regulations during the Babbitt administration. But all attempts to do so have wisely been struck down by Congress and public opposition. But unfortunately DOI is using the recent terrorist attacks as justification for expanding its agencies law enforcement authority. As pointed out by Congressman George Nethercutt (R-WA) who has requested a meeting with Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, DOI officers already have the necessary authority they need which allows them to work with local law enforcement. Nethercutt questions the wisdom of giving such broad police powers to a department with a history of misusing the limited power it currently assumes. Contact
your Congressman immediately to alert them to this draft bill and ask them to
support Nethercutt’s opposition of the bill.
Also, contact the Secretary of Interior’s office directly and voice
your concern. Our best
opportunity to stop this ill-conceived idea is before it is ever filed. |
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