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Illegal and Unauthorized Activities on Public Lands--A Problem With Serious Implications

CED-82-48 Published: Mar 10, 1982. Publicly Released: Mar 10, 1982.
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Highlights

GAO reviewed the federal role in providing outdoor recreation in California and Oregon.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to give increased emphasis to using the agencies' law enforcement powers and carrying out their responsibilities whenever unauthorized activities affect resource management and use. Where necessary, existing regulations should be revised to deal specifically with the problems of crimes against persons and property, marihuana cultivation, timber theft, and trespassing. Also, the roles of land managers in enforcing such regulations should be clarified.
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of the Interior The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to give increased emphasis to using the agencies' law enforcement powers and carrying out their responsibilities whenever unauthorized activities affect resource management and use. Where necessary, existing regulations should be revised to deal specifically with the problems of crimes against persons and property, marihuana cultivation, timber theft, and trespassing. Also, the roles of land managers in enforcing such regulations should be clarified.
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to increase the level of law enforcement effort devoted to preventing and controlling the illegal and unauthorized activities which GAO identified. This action should instruct the field staffs to: (1) meet their obligations and responsibilities for dealing with these activities; and (2) foster mutual aid and cooperation with other law enforcement entities.
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of the Interior The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to increase the level of law enforcement effort devoted to preventing and controlling the illegal and unauthorized activities which GAO identified. This action should instruct the field staffs to: (1) meet their obligations and responsibilities for dealing with these activities; and (2) foster mutual aid and cooperation with other law enforcement entities.
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to remove manpower, resource, and policy constraints which impede efficient and effective law enforcement efforts, to the extent feasible, by giving emphasis and support to prevention activities, including: (1) preventive patrolling; (2) making vehicles available when needed; and (3) ensuring adequate coverage of law enforcement personnel through improved duty assignment planning.
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of the Interior The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to remove manpower, resource, and policy constraints which impede efficient and effective law enforcement efforts, to the extent feasible, by giving emphasis and support to prevention activities, including: (1) preventive patrolling; (2) making vehicles available when needed; and (3) ensuring adequate coverage of law enforcement personnel through improved duty assignment planning.
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to establish and effectively implement law enforcement information systems that provide management with essential and reliable reporting information on the seriousness and extent of crime on public lands. Such systems are vital to supervising and controlling law enforcement efforts.
Closed – Implemented
The Forest Service's Law Enforcement Management and Reporting System (LEMARS) is fully operational. Forest area and headquarters officials cite one benefit from the system reporting incidents for budget purposes. However, the system establishes no communications between forest sites and, consequently, it will not be useful on the ground.
Department of the Interior The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should direct the heads of the land management agencies to establish and effectively implement law enforcement information systems that provide management with essential and reliable reporting information on the seriousness and extent of crime on public lands. Such systems are vital to supervising and controlling law enforcement efforts.
Closed – Implemented
The BLM system is being piloted but it will be several years before an assessment of its benefits can be made. The Park Service does not intend to implement the recommendation. Based on guidance in the Project Manual, this recommendation is closed.

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Topics

Crime preventionCrimesInformation systemsLaw enforcementNational forestsNational recreation areasPublic landsStatistical dataLand managementRecreation