The Milwaukee County Executive’s 2008 Recommended Budget proposed the
creation of a Park Patrol. On Monday,
November 5, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors supported the creation of
a Park Patrol when they passed the 2008 Adopted Budget.
The mission of the Park Patrol is to provide informational, educational,
and safety services to the general public, revitalizing Park Watch groups, and
monitoring activities in the parks to ensure patron safety and voluntary
compliance with park rules and regulations.
The Park Patrol will also be able to assist field staff by monitoring
rentals, providing security during special events, ensuring fee compliance
(e.g., boat launch fees and dog park permits), and working to prevent vandalism
and theft. Community involvement is a
key component in the fight to prevent vandalism and crime in our parks,
therefore, their work in revitalizing neighborhood Park
Watch groups will be essential.
Parks departments nationwide have been turning to Park Ranger programs to
enhance safety and security in their parks and to serve as ambassadors. Locally, Waukesha
and Dane Counties have had successful ranger
programs for years. Milwaukee County
Parks’ proposed Park Patrol will be very similar in structure and function to
the program in Waukesha.
Patrol members will be provided with bicycles to allow for greater coverage
in larger parks, parkways, and trails.
They will receive extensive training through the Milwaukee County
Sheriff’s Training
Academy that includes
personal safety awareness, conflict resolution, and county parks ordinance
review. Bicycle safety classes will also
be offered. Park Patrol members will be
provided with 800 mhz trunked radios with direct access to Sheriff’s Dispatch
and each other. It is not the intent of
the program to involve Park employees in patron disputes or crimes in progress
but to serve as educators and frontline eyes and ears to credentialed law
enforcement officers. Their training
will also prepare them to track patron contacts and violations. This tracking mechanism will be a vital tool
to provide local law enforcement agencies information and trends on the types
of violations observed in the Parks.
One of the key factors in the success of Park Patrol will be the continued
cooperation with the Sheriff’s Office Targeted Enforcement Unit (TEU). TEU was established in 2005 with an emphasis
on Parks and Transit issues. During the
busy summer months, the TEU is a valued partner of the Parks Department and
their dedication to the safety of the public and our employees is evident. The TEU is comprised of 26 deputies and
sergeants that are divided into geographical patrol areas. The Sheriff’s Office has also established
their own parks hotline at 453-PARK.
This hotline was established so that residents can report Parks-related
crime issues and tips directly to the TEU.
For more
information or if you are interested in starting a Park Watch in your
neighborhood, contact Laura Schloesser, Safety, Security and Training Manager,
at 257-PARK.
