Page 89 - Illinois Association of Park Districts Benefits of Membership 2017 - 2018

POSITION OF THE ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF PARK DISTRICTS
Safety in park districts, forest preserves, conservation and recreation agencies – implementing a park watch program
The issue
Crime and vandalism are issues in every community. Crime and violence can deny patrons of the intended recreational use of park and recreation services and facilities.
Everyone should have access to safe, clean parks. In order to keep these places safe for park patrons, park users and the people living near parks need to get involved in agency-supported programs to stop crime and vandalism.
Background
From 2003 to 2004, crime rates rose 25.7 percent in Illinois park districts.1 Crime and vandalism cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year for cleaning up graffiti, repairing buildings, replacing vandalized equipment and paying insurance claims to injured patrons.
Getting the community involved
Citizens must organize to take back their parks. They must organize to help clean and repair parks and to report suspicious and illegal activity to law enforcement officials.
Agencies can encourage this kind of community involvement by providing interesting play equipment and organizing recreation activities that entice law-abiding children and adults to participate. A busy park is a safer park.2 Involved residents will help prevent criminal mischief and will want vandalized or otherwise damaged property to be repaired immediately.
Understaffed police departments find it difficult to patrol residential areas with the frequency residents prefer. Using trained citizen volunteers as the “eyes and ears” for the police department or an agency’s
1 Illinois State Police Web site
2National Crime Prevention Web site: "http://ncpc.org/topics/Neighborhood_Watch/Strategy_Take_Back_the_Parks.php."
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