Crime Within City Parks Drops 27%

A Los Angeles Police Department program targeting the 71 most crime-plagued parks in Los Angeles, including 17 in the San Fernando Valley, was credited Monday for helping to cut violent crime by 27% in the parks--more than three times the citywide decline in crime.

LAPD Capt. Kirk Albanese said he believes the steep drop in crime is partly attributable to a decision two years ago to step up police and ranger patrols in the 71 locations that are part of the Safe Parks program.

“The level of commitment in those parks by the department has been considerable,” Albanese told members of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Monday.

A report on the first three months of this year shows that the number of violent crimes in the 71 parks dropped to 84 from 115 during the same period last year.

Major enforcement efforts during the first three months of this year have included:

* A crackdown on Hansen Dam Sports Center by park rangers and anti-gang officers that removed 50 carloads of gang members from the park in one weekend.

* Twenty-six arrests in Ritchie Valens Park in Pacoima, most of them for public drinking.

* Eleven arrests at the Winnetka Recreation Center, including four for outstanding warrants.

* Stepped-up patrols at other San Fernando Valley parks, including Chatsworth South, Sepulveda, Branford, Hubert Humphrey, Sun Valley, David Gonzales, Valley Plaza, Victory Vineland, North Hollywood, Fernangeles, Delano, Sherman Oaks, Lanark and Tarzana.

Ellen Oppenheim, general manager of the Recreation and Parks Department, said the heightened police presence is having an impact.

“The key is an ongoing presence and patrol in the parks,” Oppenheim said.

She said her department and the LAPD have also improved communication and coordination to rid city parks of crime. Park rangers now carry LAPD radios in their cars so they can get a quick response in emergencies.

“Our residents deserve safe, clean, crime-free parks in their communities,” she told the council panel.

Councilwoman Laura Chick, the committee chairwoman, said “there has been great progress made” in reducing crime in the worst parks.

But she and other council members asked for more information on crime in the rest of the city’s parks.

City Councilman Mike Feuer--noting there are only 43 rangers for 375 parks--said he was skeptical about whether there is a sufficient security presence in all parks to play a role in the decline in crime.

“We still have a pitifully small number of park rangers,” Feuer said. About the decline in crime, he added: “It could just be luck.”

Acting Chief Ranger Charles Shorts also warned that the greater emphasis on crime fighting has taken rangers away from traditional programs of guiding children on nature hikes.

“There is a huge amount of schools that we turn down weekly,” Shorts said. “We have switched our emphasis to security.”

Oppenheim said she plans to hire 20 more park patrol officers this year to allow rangers to make more use of their time and their education to teach children.

The city also hopes to improve its recruitment of rangers to fill 10 vacancies.

Feuer asked the LAPD and Oppenheim to report back on the specific numbers of increased patrols in the parks that are part of the Safe Parks program.

But Chick said it is heartening to know that there is less crime in parks, whatever the reason.

“I think that’s nothing but positive for park users,” she said.