8.2.A. PRSR 06-09-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Cn I 4. 'ver Police Department MEMORANDUM TO: Bill Maertz, Parks Director FROM: Jeffrey A. Beahen, Chief of Police DATE: May 24, 2010 SUBJECT: Lions Park Thanks for meeting with Rodney, Steve and myself last Friday to discuss on-going issues at Lions Park. As we all agreed, Lions Park is a constant source of calls for police service and even when calls have not been made-we know that problems are occurring and are not being reported. Of late, the building had been damaged with shingles being torn off in large section and lights being broken out. Tree limbs have been broken off, and someone tried to start a fire in the band shell. These aze not new issues, but are recent examples of problems at the pazk. In checking our records, we have had 550 calls for police service to the park since 4-11-2007. We have had 27 calls for service there in 2010. That is more calls generated for police service than most other establishments or locations in Elk River. (T'he only single location with higher calls for service was Time Out Bar with 611 calls) This is not what we all agreed upon as being the type of quality pazk services that we wish to offer our citizens. We also agreed that it Lions Park is handicapped for several reasons. 1) The park is demographically hampered to that it sits directly in the midst of the central corridor multi-housing area of Elk River. The majority of the transient population resides with a few hundred yazds of the park, and they are the primary users. 2) The skate park located there has a tendency to draw in users who are often not fully ready to embrace Hiles and regulations as well as a transient user base that is less likely to follow regulations. The skate park crowd also has a reputation for smoking underage and to traffic alcohol or controlled substances. 3) There are no night time employees who work at the park. Those who have worked in the evening are faced with lack of control as the problem users are not likely to follow orders. 4) No video security system is in place. What happens is not reported until the next day- well after the suspects have left the area, making apprehension almost impossible.