Park safety, security and surveillance

Let me start by saying our park system is as safe as it can be in today’s age. Yes, we have our vandalism, occasional assault, and minor thieves. Sure there are disagreements and verbal confrontations. Parks are full of people and there will be problems, since we are dealing with people. 

I often get questions like this when I speak to a group. 

“I hear you can buy any kind of drug you want in …… Park!  What are you doing to stop it?” or “I heard someone was stabbed with a knife the other day in………Park?” 

Generally the key word is “I heard.” Most of these are rumors or exaggerations, not fact. 

My office works closely with our police chief and our Public Safety Department. We do not have a park ranger system, so our uniformed and patrol officers monitor our park system. We use the Bike Patrol on scheduled and non- scheduled functions or locations. We call on the Detective Unit to provide undercover officers on occasion. All the above have been used for years and been effective as a deterrent or successful in catching illegal activities.

This year we have moved into a more technical direction by using surveillance cameras. These units may or may not be seen by the normal park users, depending on our purpose for their use. In some cases we want you to see the camera, and in some cases we don’t.  They can be programmed to provide a verbal warning such as; “It is illegal to dump personal trash at this location” or “It is illegal to be in this park since it is closed for the night.” The cameras can be set to take a picture, with great clarity and detail, based on motion or a preset automatic frequency.  

So smile, you may be on camera!

The biggest deterrent is YOU, the park users.  If you live alongside a park and you see activity that is questionable, call the police, get a camera or video shot that can be used to help identify a car, a license plate, a person, or what was done. With cell phones everywhere, you can simply call the police if you are in the park, on a trail, at a ballfield, and report an issue. We don’t ask you to put yourself in harm’s way, but you can certainly help by being present, being our eyes. 

So go, use the parks, and enjoy yourself. Know that we are trying to make your visit an enjoyable one.