Park rangers have power to enforce permits

Deirdre Newman

The City Council passed a law on Tuesday giving park rangers the

authority to enforce permits for parks and other city facilities.

For years, residents and youth-sports teams have bought permits to

reserve picnic shelters and park areas, but there has been no way to

enforce them if someone without a permit shows up first.

“It’s just to have some broader powers of enforcement so [park

rangers] can more adequately do their job,” Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.

The council approved the park-patrol program in July 2003. Two

officers patrol the city’s 57 parks, especially the 38 with playing

fields. The patrol officers got the authority to write civil

citations in December 2003 for code violations like the use of

alcohol and paintball guns in parks.

Residents and groups pay a fee ranging from $18 to $221 an hour to

reserve sites for exclusive use. In the first year of the program,

there were 1,035 reservations for fields and 142 reservations for

picnic areas.

With their new power, rangers should be able to resolve any

disputes quickly, American Youth Soccer Organization regional

commissioner Chris Sarris said.

“I really can’t see a downside of it,” Sarris said. “If you’ve got

a permit, it doesn’t matter what group you are. You should be able to

use the field, and the park [officers] should know exactly who has

the permit and should be able to clear it up pretty quick.”

Another addition approved Tuesday allows the city to establish

safety zones for its after-school programs at parks. In the past,

when staff members were concerned about adults bothering the children

in the parks, they couldn’t do anything about it.

Under the new law, if an after-school program has a permit for an

area, staff members can ask suspicious people to leave.

The council also approved requiring athletic leagues that use park

areas on a regular basis to pay for permits. The fees will go toward

maintenance of the fields, Knight said.

It will go back to the council for a second reading Nov. 23.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers government. She may be reached at (714)

966-4623 or by e-mail at [email protected].