Former PG Police Officer to Retire as Head of U.S. Park Police

Teresa Chambers, a former Prince George’s County police officer who became the first woman to lead the United States Park Police, plans to retire next month after more than three decades in law enforcement, reports The Washington Post.

She served more than 20 years in the Prince George’s County Police Department, retiring at the rank of major to accept the position as Chief of Police in Durham, NC, according to her biography on the Park Police website.

Chambers plans to step aside on Dec. 5 — her 35th anniversary as a sworn police officer, the newspaper said. In 2011, she was reinstated as chief after years earlier being fired for public comments about lack of staffing and funding.

Chambers argued that she was dismissed in retaliation for exposing staffing and security problems and claimed protection under the federal Whistleblower Protection Act, the Post said. The U.S. Interior Department said she was fired for insubordination and failing to follow the chain of command. After a legal fight that spanned years, the Merit Systems Protection Board ordered Chambers reinstated and directed the Interior Department to pay her back pay, interest and other benefits.

According to the website Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Chambers’ was stripped of her badge, gun and police authority on Dec. 5, 2003, just days after giving an interview with the Washington Post about low staffing levels.

This triggered a protracted legal battle ultimately proving that all actions taken against Chief Chambers were groundless or illegal, culminating in an order restoring her as Chief of the U.S. Park Police, the website said. Her fight also earned her the nickname of “The Honest Chief.”

In a statement Thursday, Chambers said that it was time to pursue new opportunities. No successor was immediately named.

“It was important that I leave on my terms and at a time of my choosing,” Chambers said in the statement.