Creates a new and complex management problem for Corps decisionmakers.

Puts Corps employees in hazardous situations and exposes Corps to liability for officer actions.

Will require a continual expansion of manpower and funding
levels.

Uncertain whether protection problems will increase or decrease.

Creates a fragmented approach to the development of a unified federal policy for national visitor protection policy.

Will inevitably create local-level political problems with
sheriffs and police.

Law enforcement agencies are difficult to control once they
are firmly established; possible conflict with basic Corps
recreation-resource management role.

Difficult to design an adequate organizational format for law enforcement services within existing Corps structure.

Difficult to justify the existence of this specialized force during the off-season.

Creates management conflict with role of the Provost Marshal.

Will still need to supplement current ranger force to reach
adequate level for ranger responsibilities.

Summary

The implementation of sub-alternative IV-A appears to be the soundest approach for the Corps to autonomously control the law enforcement and visitor protection at the lakes. However, it cannot be emphasized enough that law enforcement is a serious endeavor with grave consequences for negligence or misjudgment. It is not the type of profession that one can be molded into if not inclined or predisposed to do such. The role conflict created from forcing someone into an unwanted position is selfdefeating. These disadvantages must be given strong consideration before implementing this alternative.

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Discussion

Simply stated this alternative will extract and combine the most positive features from supplementing law enforcement assistance and increasing Corps visitor protection practices as described in sub-alternative IV-B.

The objective of this alternative is to use state law enforcement agencies for preventive patrol and apprehension of offenders, in addition to increasing the Corps ranger force to meet the levels recommended in Chapter 9. The Corps ranger's role would be to assist in implementing the goals which involve assisting law enforcement and protecting environmental resources and visitors. The use of Title 36 citation activity would be utilized as described in sub-alternative IV-B, better records would be kept, effective deterrence of crime achieved, and a number of other values

met.

The basic advantage of this alternative is that rangers would not be law enforcement agents. Their role would encompass recreationresource management and protection. State law enforcement agencies, either State Police, Highway Patrol or Conservation Agencies, would provide the necessary law enforcement. The Corps would still be responsible both financially and administratively, thus ensuring a complete visitor protection program.

Most of the other recommendations, described in the remaining chapters, such as increased training or improved park design, would be best accomplished under this alternative.

Cost

The cost of implementing this alternative will be presented according to the two plans for manpower improvement described in Chapter 9. The cost of using state agencies will remain constant in both plans.

The objective of plan Y is to maximize the availability of permanent rangers for each working shift. This plan involves the addition of 278 permanent rangers, which will provide a minimum of 4 rangers per A lake and one ranger per B lake (with "double-up" coverage). detailed below:

The cost is

This total expense for effective coverage would more than double the Corps current ranger (permanent and temporary) personnel costs.

Plan Z involves a much higher level of coverage during peak usage with well-trained, seasonal rangers. This plan would decrease the ratio of recreation visitors-to-rangers from 240,000 visitor days per ranger to 100,000 visitor days per ranger at the A lakes. The B lakes ratio would drop from over 600,000 per ranger to 150,000 per ranger.

Implementation of plan Z would require the addition of 322 permanent rangers and 644 seasonal rangers. The costs for plan Z are as

follows:

Plan Z is $2 million more expensive than plan Y, but the added coverage from trained, supervised, seasonal employees would be well worth the difference.

Advantages of Alternative V

State agencies generally have total jurisdiction over law violations throughout the state irrespective of county or municipal boundaries. This will allow for a single contractual arrangement with an agency that can perform all law enforcement functions at the lake(s) regardless of the number of jurisdictions which are involved.

Corps roles and objectives concerning the provision of law enforcement and visitor protection will be clearly defined.

State level law enforcement agencies are typically the most
sophisticated in terms of training, equipment, and support
services and are accustomed to the enforcement of laws on a
geographic basis.

State agencies are characteristically the best capable to recruit new personnel which would be required for operations at the one or more Corps lakes in the state.

Can be accomplished with few administrative problems.

Concentration of law enforcement services through one centralized agency will allow the Corps to coordinate reporting and recording of crime data at a single level.

Communications and information exchange with a state level agency will be more efficient than through many individual agencies.

Law enforcement services will be more uniform throughout the United States where the number of agencies administering law enforcement are reduced.

Use of a state level agency will be more cost effective in that these agencies will require less extensive start-up expenditures. All, for example,maintain 24-hour dispatch capability and sufficient support personnel to accommodate additional sworn personnel without the level of outlay that would be demanded by a number of local agencies which may require additional equipment or personnel.

Does not expose the Corps to serious felony cases or the concomitant problems such as prisoner transportation and detention. Assures recreation visitors that they will be adequately protected.

Will best enable the Corps to implement the standards for visitor protection.

Disadvantages of Alternative V

Costly to implement.

Will require organizational committment and alterations.

There is no complete assurance that subsidized personnel will always be utilized exclusively at the Corps lakes.

Subsidized law enforcement may attempt to direct Corps policy concerning visitor protection.

Corps must still rely on outside agencies for serious case
processing.

Summary

The

The costs to implement this alternative are expensive but the coverage provided would ensure visitor and resource protection. The manpower service rendered from this alternative would be highly adequate. trade-offs in resource and visitor protection can be realized by comparing this expense to the current expense of crime and vandalism (costs due to losses from theft and damage; and law enforcement rendered) which is estimated at over $25 million per year. It would be expected that implementation of alternative V (plan Y or Z) would significantly decrease