Making the Parks Safe

Some parks in Los Angeles are safe for all who enter. Visitors can stroll the grounds or swing on the swings or picnic day or evening with little fear. But to freely enjoy many city parks one must belong to a local street gang, or carry a concealed weapon. For those who do not fall into either of these groups, but who live near a park that is patrolled by gangs or frequented by drug dealers, a walk in the park can be an exercise in terror--even a life-threatening event.

The Los Angeles Police Department underscored part of the problem when it declared 75 city parks in need of extra police attention. What can happen to you in a park is no longer limited to scratched knees and bruised elbows. Park activities include drug deals, gambling and homicides--all events that demand prompt police attention.

But the need for increased police supervision stems from several problems plaguing the city’s parks department. Shortages of money, dating back nearly a decade to Proposition 13, have created critical manpower and programming deficiencies in the parks department, leaving many parks understaffed and ill equipped to handle their visitors--both welcome and unwelcome.

Under the current funding framework, park patrons now must pay for organized recreation. But in areas where parents cannot afford fee-based activities for their children, services deteriorate, leaving the parks vulnerable to gangs. The mis-direction of available funds exacerbates the problem. This year the city budgeted 13 times more money for recreation-center office supplies than it did for baseballs, basketballs and other recreation equipment. James E. Haddaway, general manager of the Reacreation and Parks Department, earns $100,475 a year. His conduct on the job is being watched critically by members of the City Council, some of whom are displeased with his performance to date.

A stronger financial commitment to the parks by the city government would alleviate a multitude of problems. Adequate staffing would encourage the kind of fun activities for which parks were designed--activities that leave no room for vagrants, drug dealers and gang members. And a reordering of financial priorities would restock park facilities with sorely needed recreational supplies. But this well-deserved attention will not come until the parks administration recognizes that a problem exists.

Haddaway cites the affluent and well-staffed Northridge Park as a model for Los Angeles’ park system. Not all Angelenos are fortunate enough to live in an affluent neighborhood, but everyone is entitled to a safe and well-equipped park.