Summer’s here and the time is right to hit the park.
And every resident should feel free to do so without fear.
Mayor Bruce Harrell is right to pump up crime prevention strategies before school gets out and temperatures rise. On May 21, he announced new details of a multipart plan.
That’s welcome news, since public safety around parks has many dimensions.
In its March report on gun violence, the Seattle City Auditor identified parks with high incidences of shootings and shots fired from 2021 to 2024: Be’er Sheva Park, Cheasty Greenspace, Cal Anderson Park, Magnuson Park and Alki Beach Park rounded out the top five.
The Mayor’s Office is implementing proactive police patrols at Alki Beach, Cal Anderson, Golden Gardens, Magnuson, Seward “and more,” according to a news release. Here’s hoping Be’er Sheva receives added attention, too.
Gun violence is only part of the problem. Seattle Park Rangers — whose primary mission is to serve as friendly ambassadors — are stepping up. The 28 or so rangers will place greater emphasis on responding to community concerns about illegal and nuisance activities, according to hizzoner. That includes enforcing trespass warnings, noise complaints and unpermitted vendor violations.
More effectively deploying park rangers makes sense. But City Hall must fix the snafu whereby the rangers are unable to enforce laws if the infraction occurs on property overseen by another city department besides Parks & Recreation, such as Transportation. That conundrum has made enforcement along Alki spotty.
“Ultimately, we want to balance the need and the wish and the want to use our beautiful parks but also mitigate some of the calls that we typically get at our high-priority parks by focusing our resources there,” said Natalie Walton-Anderson, chief public safety officer, when the mayor’s law enforcement team visited the editorial board recently.
“We’re also looking at parks that need more capital improvements such as gates, tree trimming, lighting — all of those things help to contribute to a safer environment.”
In addition, the Summer Parks Safety Strategy calls for locking and cleaning restrooms more regularly. That is sorely needed and comes on the heels of an earlier city auditor report noting that Parks & Recreation was not meeting its restroom cleanliness targets.
This is not rocket science. It’s about paying attention to the details, coordinating across city departments and setting a tone that rules — all the rules, all the time — will be enforced.
Harrell has the right ideas. The safety and enjoyment of residents’ summer months depend on how well he carries them out.
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