In an effort to stop vandals, litterers and drug users, Palm Beach County is planning to increase law enforcement patrols at its parks.
John Prince Park, sprawling over 726 acres near Lake Worth, is a popular spot for joggers, campers and homeless people, who congregate underneath shady pavilions. Some sleep there overnight when the well-known park is closed.
The county’s budget would allocate $135,000 next year for off-duty deputies to patrol parks.
Those dollars would be used to add overnight policing at John Prince Park and to strengthen law enforcement’s presence at other popular parks during busy holiday weekends, Parks Director Eric Call said. Extra patrols are needed at Ocean Inlet Park near Boynton Beach, Lake Ida Park in Delray Beach and other county parks in Jupiter and Juno Beach, he said.
About 30 homeless people were in John Park Prince during the most recent count, Call said.
“I don’t want it to be a situation where we are finding needles and other types of things there and criminal elements are preying on this vulnerable population,” he said.
Commissioner Dave Kerner said he requested the additional money because of complaints about people using the bathroom in public at John Prince Park, hanging up laundry and leaving trash. He said he’s also concerned about sexual assault and other crimes that occur in the homeless community.
“This is more to ensure the safety of park visitors,” he said.
In the past year, law enforcement responded to calls involving car breaks-in, fights, suspicious persons, open alcoholic containers, suicide attempts and thefts, according to a review of police records.
The county hasn’t been arresting or citing people who sleep overnight in the park, have nowhere to go and otherwise are obeying the law, Call said. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.
“If there is not a bed for someone to go to, we legally cannot have them removed from a public property,” Call said.
Palm Beach County has a homeless shelter in West Palm Beach that offers 20 beds for women and 40 for men. A 1-cent sales tax increase will provide funding for the county to open another homeless shelter near the park, Kerner said.
In May, Fort Lauderdale cleared out a homeless camp at Stranahan Park because the Department of Health had declared it unsanitary. Records showed the city told on itself, complaining to the state health agency that “there are a number of rats running around.”
Palm Beach County’s resources for policing parks are down significantly from 10 years ago. During the recession, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office eliminated its parks enforcement unit, which included about 45 deputies specifically to patrol the county’s roughly 84 parks.
The county has 24 park rangers, but they do not have the authority to arrest people or issue citations, Call said. Deputies also drive through the parks occasionally while on patrol.
John Prince Park has received negative online reviews from people complaining of it being unsafe and people selling drugs near playgrounds.
On Wednesday, Marta Betancourt, 33, of West Palm Beach watched as her two sons frolicked in a splash pad. She said she visits about three times a week and has never had a problem.
“It’s a good park,” Betancourt said. “There are a lot of homeless people, but they don’t bother anybody.”
sswisher@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6634 or @SkylerSwisher
