Attacks on State, Local Employees at Parks

Dekalb County, GA (WorkersCompensation.com) – Attacks on government workers are on the rise, officials say, as three state and local government employees were attacked recently in separate incidents.   

In Dekalb County, Georgia, officials said a group of people they are calling “activists” assaulted two Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice employees sitting in in the South River Trail Intrenchment Creek Park on their lunch break.   

According to the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office the two transportation officers were in their van when a large group of between 60 and 70 people walked out of the woods and began attacking and vandalizing their vehicle. The group slashed their tires and broke windows on the vehicle, officials said.   

"They said about 60 or 70 people came out of the woods wearing camouflage clothing, (and) masks," Commissioner Tyrone Oliver told WAGA-TV. “They were just going there to enjoy their sandwich.”   

While the employees were not physically hurt, they were shaken up, he said.   

"Their tires were slashed. Their windows were busted out. It's a clearly marked law enforcement transportation van with  blue lights and decals on the side of the van. It's just a brazen attack,' he said.   

While the employees were able to get to safety and escape the group at a fire station across the street, commissioners have requested other employees from using the park. The attack on the officers was not the first time something like that has happened, he said.   

DeKalb County police said they are investigating the attack, but no arrests have been made.   

Officials said the group was with “The Stop the Swap, Save Intrenchment Creek Park,” activists who are protesting the land being developed by a film studio. Intrenchment Creek Park is a 136-acre park inside Atlanta’s I-285 beltway in south DeKalb County.   

"Forty acres of the park, including urban forest, are at risk of private development via a land swap between DeKalb County and Blackhall Studios. Together we can #stoptheswap and save our beautiful public land,” the group said on its Facebook page.   

In Strasburg, Virginia, a city employee working at the Strasburg Visitor Center walked away with minor injuries last week, after a suspect tried to rob the center.   

Strasburg Police said in a news release that the attack happened on Monday, May 9 around 4:30 p.m.   

Police responded to the call within about 5 minutes, officials said, but the suspect had already fled the scene. The victim, a town employee, suffered minor injuries that were treated at the scene, Police Chief Wayne Sagar said, and defending herself during the attack.   

“It’s the most intense violation a person could feel ... when you experience something like this,” Sager said. The victim has been given time off from work and the town is working to provide additional services for her, if needed.   

The motive for the attack remains unclear he said. The suspect was described as 50 to 60 years old, with grey combed back hair, about 5’7” to 5’8”, weighing about 160 pounds.   

Both accounts come as park employees have faced increased incidents in recent years, including threats, assaults and harassment.   

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department recently asked state legislatures to place rangers in the same category as public safety officers, medical safety providers, fire service professionals, highway workers and others to increase the penalties for those convicted of offenses against them. OPRD said it wants to add protection for its rangers, as well as state, tribal and local parks and recreation employees.   

Preson Phillips, OPRD Central Coast district manager, said the legislation stems from numerous incidents in the past few years.   

“Some concrete examples would be just in the past few years, rangers on patrol in a campground, making contact with someone who’s camping in an illegal spot and actually being physically attacked and having to defend themselves just in the course of natural duties,” Phillips told OPB’s Thinking Out Loud. “At other spots, we’ve had folks actually sic their animals on rangers to kind of weaponize their pets. Then we’re being contacted about rule infractions. And even some stalking around the campground with booze and weapons over the shoulder or even reaching through windows to get ahold of somebody… We’ve seen that kind of ratchet up some and so we brought this proposed legislation forward.”  

The increase in attacks has been unprecedented, Phillips said.  

“I’ve been with parks at different capacities for over 30 years and there’s always been some contentious situations, but what we’ve seen as an agency, not just myself, but folks are a little bit more aggressive, potentially seem to be a little bit more actually on the physical side of things as well,” he said. “And then just obviously with increased usage those numbers are just ratcheted up as well.”  

Phillips said legislators had responded to the OPRD to change the legislation to include other public service employees. For him, however, the goal is the safety of park employees.   

“I would just like to see folks maybe give a little bit more grace or have patience with ourselves or our employees,…” he said. “We are all kind of pushing through this change and this difference and we’re proud to provide parks to everyone– welcoming and inclusive–but we want our employees to feel safe and to do their jobs in a good way, while not being vulnerable, in that regard.”