On Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council will consider a proposal that would add security guards to eight parks around the city to try, in part to stop trespassing.
The parks recommended to implement the pilot program to expand services are:
- Cortez
- Washington
- Pierce
- Cielito
- El Oso
- Perry
- Desert West
- Maryvale
The city identified the parks to have the highest number of park ranger visits for code of conduct violations and trespassing notices. The proposal comes at a time when the city says there are 25 park ranger vacancies.
The private security guard would be deputized to inform people on the rules, help connect those experiencing homeless with city aid services and ensure the park is clear after it closes.
According to multiple city staffers, the guards would be unarmed, and the added security would work from 8 p.m. – 10 a.m.
At Perry Park, Katie Gipson McLean says despite the addition of a skate park that gets regular use and a new playground installed just a couple years ago, there are still disturbances at the park that she wishes weren’t there.
“There is camping. I’ve seen people actively smoking fentanyl and methamphetamine,” she said.
Katie is a key stakeholder for Perry Park as she helped bring the skate park to her neighborhood and additional upgrades are coming down the line.
She noticed the parks are “based in communities that are lower-income communities,” said the Phoenix native and public defender.
She feels the proposal isn’t the right solution to stop camping and trespassing.
"It just pushes it and displaces it; it doesn't get to the actual issue. Which is we don't have actual solutions to the housing and mental health crisis that we're experiencing here,” she said.
Further West at Cielito Park, some homeowners who live on or nearby Elm Street feel those camping have created a bit of a year-round nightmare. Trash has built up in alleyways and homeowners like Oscar Rodriguez said drunken fights have spilled into the neighborhood.
“It’s become a real problem because our families our children, we don’t feel comfortable with all that stuff.
Currently, three city parks use private security, according to city staff.
Adding eight more is estimated to cost $400,000 annually but it's not a done deal.
The Phoenix city council is slated to take up the issue on Wednesday.
