Last updated: August 27, 2026
Article
Guide to the Valerie Fernandes Papers
This finding aid describes the Valerie Fernandes Papers part of the NPS History Collection. To search this guide for names, places, key words, or phrases enter Ctrl F on your keyboard (command key + F key on a Mac). Request an in-person research appointment or get more information by contacting the archivist.
Collection Overview
Collection Number: HFCA 3649Accession Number: HFCA-02006
Creator: Fernandes, Valerie (1953-)
Title: Valerie Fernandes Papers
Dates: 1952, 1973-1999
Extent: 0.4 LF and 16 digital files (394 MB)
Language of Materials: English
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized.
Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open to research use.
Conditions Governing Use: Some of the reports and other reference materials in this collection were not produced by the NPS and may not be in the public domain. See https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/?language=en. See also the NPS general archives copyright & restrictions information.
Provenance: Donated by Valerie Fernandes to the NPS History Collection in 2022.
Processing Note: This collection was processed by Mikaela Wilson in June 2026.
Rights Statements for Archival Description: This guide is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation: Valerie Fernandes Papers (HFCA 3649), NPS History Collection
Location of Repository: NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Related Materials:
- Assembled Historic Records of the NPS (HFCA 1645), NPS History Collection
- Gretchen W. Merkle Papers (HFCA 3645), NPS History Collection
- NPS Oral History Collection (HFCA 1817), NPS History Collection
- Polly Welts Kaufman Papers (HFCA 1980), NPS History Collection
Biographical Note
Valerie Fernandes was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953. She attended St. John’s University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. After graduating, Fernandes was hired as a customer service representative at the Social Security Administration in 1974. In 1976 she saw an advertisement in the civil service newspaper for a position with the National Park Service (NPS) US Park Police (USPP). Fernandes applied to the USPP and traveled to Washinton, DC, to attend an interview and examination.She was hired in 1976 and graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia, joining the USPP as a private in May the same year. Her first position was in the Central District of Washington, DC, where she was assigned foot patrols around the monuments on the National Mall. After four months, Fernandes took a position in the New York Field Office, where she spent the next nine and a half years working at Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE).
In 1980 Fernandes and Pepper Karansky became the first two women to graduate from the USPP horse mounted training unit. The USPP began equestrian patrols in 1933. In 1983 Fernandes was promoted to sergeant. In 1985 she returned to Washington, DC, as the first woman in the USPP to reach the rank of lieutenant and field commander.
In 1991 she was nominated for an Outstanding Manager Award by the Interagency Committee on Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE). In 1992 Fernandes became the first woman promoted to captain in the USPP. Fernandes retired from the USPP in 2000 after accepting a position at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Operations Training Division. In 2004 she left ATF and in 2006, she joined the US Coast Guard Auxiliary in St. Pete Beach, Florida. As of 2026 she is a Flotilla Staff Officer of Operations (FSO-OP). This position coordinates activities like support missions, regatta patrols, safety patrols, and charts updating patrols.
During her tenure, she attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, was detailed to the International Association of Chiefs of Police as a visiting fellow in Alexandria, Virginia, and served as chairperson for several promotion boards for sergeants and lieutenants. She also studied Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) while earning her Master of Art in Urban Development and Planning from the University of Virginia.
Sources:
National Park Service. “Valerie Fernandez.” Last modified December 2022. Accessed June 2026. https://home.nps.gov/articles/000/valerie-fernandes.htm.Polly Welts Kaufman Papers (HFCA 1980), NPS History Collection.
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. “Flotilla Staff Officer Positions and Descriptions.” U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Accessed June 2026. https://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=113-01-04&category=flotilla-officer-positions.
Scope and Content Note
Newspaper clippings, manuals, notes, certificates, correspondence, and USPP reports assembled by Valerie Fernandes. Materials related to her horse mounted patrol position include the official training manual, her notes from the course, the unit manual, and information related to her horse named Castaway. Newspaper clippings and other documents relate to her graduations and promotions. Subjects include law enforcement training, crime prevention, USPP annual accomplishments, and the USPP Horse Mounted Unit, graduation and promotions, as well as a general overview of USPP history. Of note is a copy of the 1952 Rules and Regulations of the USPP of the National Capital Parks which Fernandes acquired as a historical document. Scans of photographs depict Fernandes at graduation or promotion ceremonies, training, and working throughout her career. The class photograph from Police School 63 documents the USPP policewomen’s uniform when Fernandes began her career.Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject.Container List
BOX 01Folder 01: Correspondence: "Castaway" Horse Identification, 1980-1981
Folder 02: CPTED History and Survey, 1995, 1999
Folder 03: FLETC Student Handbook, 1978
Folder 04: Horse Mounted Unit: FBI Bulletin, 1980
Folder 05: Horse Mounted Unit: Manual, 1973, 1974
Folder 06: Horse Mounted Unit: USPP Horse Mounted Training Class, 1980
Folder 07: Newspaper Clippings, 1976
Folder 08: Personnel, 1984
Folder 09: Photographs, 1976-1997, undated
Folder 10: USPP Annual Reports, 1975, 1977
Folder 11: USPP Field Manual, 1987
Folder 12: USPP Job Pamphlet, Undated
Folder 13: USPP Rules and Regulations, 1952