A report released last week documents a frightening increase in the number of attacks against Park Service rangers, Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife employees in the past year---over 900%, over 100% and 22 percent, respectively. Although Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management officials have questioned the accuracy of the report released by non-profit federal employee defense group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the U.S. Park Rangers Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police has requested a government study of the causes of the attacks. PEER is pushing for the Justice Department to begin obeying requirements under the 1996 Anti-Terrorism Act for the keeping of records on attacks against government employees, but the Justice Department has said it lacks the necessary resources.
See BRIAN FALER, The Washington Post, August 29, 2002