ANAHEIM : Patrol Program to Continue at Schools

A pilot program which used park rangers to patrol campuses on weekends has been so successful at reducing vandalism that the Anaheim City School District board voted to continue it through the school year.

A review of the 16-week program, which ended in January, concluded that the patrols had decreased problems after school at the district’s 21 campuses.

District officials and principals, tired of coming to schools Monday mornings to discover weekend vandalism, opted to try the patrols.

The district estimates nearly $18,000 is lost to vandals annually, in addition to the cost of custodial workers’ time when they spend Monday mornings removing beer bottles, graffiti and other debris from the school grounds.

The six rangers, who are unarmed, serve mostly as deterrents, warding off would-be criminals, and checking that doors, windows and gates are locked. They also have direct contact with the Anaheim police. The rangers will patrol from Friday evenings to Sunday evenings until the end of June.

The program, which will cost a little over $17,000, will be paid out of district general funds, just as the pilot program was funded.