ANAHEIM : Rangers Will Continue to Patrol City Schools

City park rangers will patrol 43 school campuses this fiscal year in an ongoing effort to reduce vandalism and misuse of the buildings.

Magnolia School District became the latest district to renew its one-year contract with the city. Under the agreement, which received City Council approval this week , the district will pay about $17,000 to the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department for ranger patrols at Magnolia’s eight elementary schools.

Anaheim Union High, Anaheim City and Centralia school districts have also renewed their contracts with the city.

Rick Turrentine, Magnolia’s assistant superintendent of business services and classified personnel, said the patrol program is “much cheaper than anything we could do on our own.

“They’ll occasionally find something we’ve missed--a door unlocked, a window slightly ajar--that could potentially be an entry spot,” Turrentine said. “It wouldn’t take many incidents of unlawful entry to make up for the cost of the service.”

The rangers, who patrol 55 city facilities in addition to the school campuses, act as “eyes and ears for the Police Department,” said Christopher K. Jarvi , director of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.