Collaboration with State and Local Partners

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Washington, D.C.  20240

http://www.blm.gov

March 1, 2018

In Reply Refer To:
9260 (120) P

EMS Transmission 3/2/2018
Information Bulletin No. 2018 -037

To: All Washington Office and Field Officials

From: Deputy Director, Policy and Programs

Subject: Collaboration with State and Local Partners

The enforcement of laws and regulations is a critical part of managing approximately 245 million acres of public lands. The Bureau's law enforcement staff of approximately 200 Rangers and 75 Special Agents serve a unique function in enforcing the laws and regulations that help us manage the lands and keep our public land users safe. With each Ranger being responsible for covering on average over one million acres, it is imperative that we continue to build and strengthen our partnerships with the state and local law enforcement agencies fulfilling their respective missions on those same public lands. I encourage all Districts and Field Office Managers to continue to seek out those law enforcement partnerships to help augment our internal law enforcement program.

Additionally and equally important, all Managers and Law Enforcement Rangers should be regularly coordinating with our law enforcement partners during their planning efforts. Land management decisions, such as Resource Management Plans, Travel Plans, recreation development, and closures all have the potential to significantly impact state and local law enforcement agencies. For example, a newly developed recreation site would likely result in increased visitation and the potential for increased crime and public assist incidents, including search and rescues, over which our state and local partners generally maintain primary jurisdiction. It is imperative that we remain aware of how our management decisions impact our partners, and understand both the need for external input into our land management planning efforts as well as the effect Bureau decisions have on the various departments and missions.

Continued collaboration is critical to our success in managing the public lands in an efficient and effective manner for generations to come. Please direct any questions regarding the BLM's collaboration with local law enforcement partners to William Woody, Director of Law Enforcement and Security, at (202) 208-3269.

Signed by:
Brian C. Steed
Deputy Director, Policy and Programs
Exercising the Authority of the Director

Authenticated by:
Catherine Emmett
WO-870 IT Policy and Planning