Grand Canyon officials face discipline after report on abuse

The top two officials at Grand Canyon National Park are among those facing disciplinary action following a federal report that found they violated policies on reporting and investigating allegations of sexual harassment in the park’s river district.

A complaint filed in 2014 by 13 former and current Grand Canyon employees prompted an investigation by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General.

The report focused on allegations lodged against four male Park Service employees who pressured female co-workers for sex, touched them inappropriately, made lewd comments and retaliated when they were rejected.

Other reforms outlined by Masica include third-party reviews of a string of past disciplinary actions to ensure consistency and of a 2013 report by the Equal Employment Opportunity office that looked into similar sexual harassment complaints.

Masica vowed to develop comprehensive training programs, to apologize personally to those who filed the 2014 complaint and to separate the patrol functions of the river district from the support services for rafting trips.