Quote:
“There were the same number of park police along the National Mall when it was open last week as there are now when it is closed,” Hastings wrote. “In fact, on Tuesday, when barricades were first erected and areas closed down, there were even more police than on a typical day when it is open. It is further proof that these closures have nothing to do with the shutdown are simply about the Obama administration playing politics.”
Hastings added that some open-air sites can be unstaffed for up to 10 hours a day.
“Congressman Hastings is incorrect in that regard,” director Jarvis fired back on C-SPAN this morning. “We run a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week, 365-day-a-year operation on the National Mall. Under normal circumstances, I would have 300 employees working on the National Mall and I currently have seven.”
That there are the same number of U.S. Park Police on the National Mall now as before the shutdown began is true, according to the U.S. Park Police officers’ union. At any given time, there are two police officers on duty at each of the big three tourist sites on the National Mall: the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument. They are joined by a smattering of roaming officers among the less-popular sites and smaller parks.
While those officers have been deemed essential for security reasons by the park police and remained on duty through the shutdown, their numbers saw a temporary boost Tuesday as the barricades were erected, according to the union.
Youll get MORE answers wed im sure, but like i said, it wont be what you want.