Park Patrols consist of motorized vehicles, bicycles, and walkers. Only the
vehicles remain active during the worst weather.
The parks close at 11:00 PM. At 11:15 PM we start taking tag numbers of
vehicles parked in the lots. Our parks are prime graffiti targets so we
aren't very tolerant about strange vehicles. If we have back-up in the park
for support, we may try to explain to drivers of illegally parked vehicles
that the park is closed and suggest they move to another location. Several
commercial property lots in the area are legally accessable 24 hours a day.
If back-up isn't available or the violator appears to be uncooperative, we
just call the Police. The Police are the intervention part of this
partnership!
Spring brings life back to the parks. City and Suburban League softball and
baseball games are nightly events in 2 of 3 parks. All the extra lighting
is certainly welcome. It doesn't take a mental giant to see why people who
enjoy ballgames tend to volunteer for Park Patrol!
Some of our ball diamonds are a fair distance from the parking lots so it is
up to the walkers and bikers to stay alert. A few of the Park Patrols carry
hand held CB's so they can shave several minutes off an emergency response
by contacting the Base unit. Many of our group have had CPR and/or
Emergency First-Aid training and we hope more will be trained and certified
within the next few months.
We have very nice parks but, as luck would have it, each one has a bit of a
problem. One draws most of the graffiti. Another draws most of the drug
activity that we know about. The third draws most of the alcohol and
visable gang activity. All three draw kids to the playground equipment and
other features and we aren't thrilled about the combination!
Our parks aren't "dangerous". They are just "less than crime free" which
means they aren't 100% safe. The Park Patrols have plenty to do. We often
recover lost or stolen property while checking for vandalism. Every so
often we even find after-hours swimmers inside the fence around the pool.
Oops! I forgot to mention the pool! It's a nice pool. It's
large. It's clean. It's deep. It's dark after
hours. It's unsafe without a lifeguard on duty.
© 1997 OOPS!
