Parks Enforcement Force Stretched Too Thin, Some Say
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With the weather heating up, so is the argument over how safe city parks are.
Park Department officials were on the hot seat Wednesday as the City Council's parks committee held a hearing about the dwindling numbers of Parks Enforcement, or PEP, officers.
"Given the resources that we have and the work load we are responding to, we think we are providing a fair distribution of resources that we have," said Parks Department Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh.
"We as a city are not doing enough to bring in the level of security and safety into our park system," said City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito.
The Parks Department says there are 175 park enforcement officers across the five boroughs. But nearly half, 83 officers, are stationed at privately funded parks, mostly in Manhattan. The city says private foundations pay for those officers. But advocates say when you break the numbers down the force is almost nonexistent outside of Manhattan.
"We need the elected officials to start funding park enforcement. Park crime was up 24 percent last year," said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates.
For the thousands of acres of parkland across the city, the breakdown of PEP officers paid with taxpayer dollars is as follows:
• Bronx: 9
• Brooklyn: 10
• Manhattan: 34
• Queens: 12
• Staten Island: 13
• Citywide unit: 14
"I am very, very frustrated. I think it is time that we re-evaluate the formula that they are using to assign officers in our city parks," said City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras.
The officers say only two or three of them are on duty to handle trouble on some shifts in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. And since the officers have peace officer status, they don't carry guns.
"There are crowds of disorderly conduct people, we have to respond to these things," said Parks Enforcement Officer Mario Carrillo.
And since the officers have peace officer status, they don't carry guns.
"People look at you and say, 'You don't have a gun.' They say, 'Who are you?' And although you identify yourself, they don't care," said Parks Enforcement Captain David Calderone.
Wednesday's hearing was the first in six years that addressed parks enforcement. The Council says it wants the city to come up with ways to put more officers on the force by next year.