Council Panel Rejects Arming of Park Rangers
Despite pleas from some city park rangers who say their job is becoming more dangerous, a Los Angeles City Council committee decided Monday to consider other options to make parks safer rather than arming rangers.
Nonetheless, City Councilman Richard Alarcon said he will submit a report to the full council seeking weapons for the rangers.
“I believe that arming park rangers . . . will save lives in my community,” Alarcon said. “Until there is some real alternative strategy . . . I will believe that.”
Still, other Public Safety Committee members, including Laura Chick and Mike Feuer, agreed to allow the police and parks and recreation departments to develop strategies for making all city parks safer. The panel rejected a Feuer proposal to identify 15 of the most crime-ridden parks and focus on making them safer.
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