Meeting Time: November 02, 2022 at 2:30pm MST
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Agenda Item

*26 ***ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SEE ATTACHED MEMO)*** (CONTINUED FROM OCT. 12, 2022) - Phoenix Park Ranger Program

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    Shannon McBride over 2 years ago

    With the Fentanyl Crisis continuing to rise, our public parks have become unsafe spaces for community to gather. We must find new/additional ways to push back on the drug related crimes and take back our parks. I support this proposal to hire a security firm to patrol Cortez Park and hope that it results in families feeling safe to use the park once again. Thank you!

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    Bill Morlan over 2 years ago

    I don’t believe we can police our way out of our homeless crisis, but I do support this effort to improve safety and security for our neighborhoods and our unsheltered neighbors. Parks have rules and they need to be enforced for the benefit of the whole community. Similar programs already in place seem to be working. Additionally, I am happy to see that Parks will work with Homeless Services to expand outreach to people living in the affected parks. That is one step toward real solutions.

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    Anne Mullen over 2 years ago

    Our neighborhood park is overrun with transients and drug users/dealers. A local pest control company is often unable to spray in and around the restrooms due to confrontations and threats from the transients, etc. This park is located next to an elementary school. Ongoing problems are 24 hours a day, not just at night. More funding necessary for park rangers and park employees to increase salaries and address safety concerns for ALL parks.

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    Neal Haddad over 2 years ago

    I am in full support of the proposal for a pilot program to ensure security & safety in city parks. Approving this would be a move to invest in city property & the people who live and play here. The ideal situation would be to utilize city employees—Rangers & Police—to monitor on a 24-hour basis. Yet there is a dearth of available staff—even during daytime hours. Residents need to know that the parks are safe & can only exist with lawful behavior and occupation of any city park by any person.

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    Peter Wrenn over 2 years ago

    Please support the pilot program for security at both Pierce and Perry Parks. Tax-paying law-abiding citizens should be able to enjoy parks and facilities without fear of harassment and potential danger from homeless encampments. Sitting back and doing nothing is clearly and obviously not working for the residents of district 8, so I fully support this pilot program to add additional security to Perry and Pierce parks. Please let the residents actually be able to enjoy their parks.

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    Andrew Terris over 2 years ago

    Please support the pilot program for security at both Pierce and Perry Parks. If the enhanced security program is only implemented at one park, then the issues will just migrate to the other park solving nothing for the District 8. The parks are an asset to the community and need security at both parks needs to be increased so that the community can feel secure and enjoy the space.

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    Celina Tchida over 2 years ago

    I am an avid park user in the valley, and a PhD candidate at ASU's Phoenix campus. I love parks because they tend to be some of the safest places for all people to find rest and recreation - that includes unsheltered people. Rhetoric around crime is just a way to justify over-policing and harassing houseless people. Increased digital or human surveillance will not bring us safety - we need to invest in safe spaces and services for houseless folks. WE care about ALL of our community. Do you?

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    Amanda Salvione over 2 years ago

    This item is another attempt to fail our community by bolstering police without addressing underlying problems. Increased unsheltered community, many of whom are in parks because of a lack of affordable housing & a lack of shelter assistance, should not be met with more patrolling and policing. Especially when council members like Warring believe warrants are the only solution to the houseless crisis & fight over giving shelter initiatives more money. We must demand community support. Not cops!

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    John Dee over 2 years ago

    This is lazy and intrusive, Fill the fields with healthy activity, not technology. The park is out of control due to poor city planning. Buying drones and now surveillance cameras are just a ramp-up to oppressive intrusion. THIS IS WRONG. The ends do not justify the means. The best way to remove a criminal or unsafe element is to provide programs that create activity in the park and support the community. Cortez Park with its fishing and public pool should be a flagship park. (District One)

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    James Deibler over 2 years ago

    I am sorry, I was not be am not able to make it to the city council meeting today. I support installing private security monitors in Cortez Park because there are many homeless people sleeping at the park and a lot of crime. We need to hire more police officers and park rangers to keep the city park safe without traveling to Glendale Heroes Regional Park in Glendale, AZ, or Pioneer Park in Peoria, AZ.

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    Christian Saavedra over 2 years ago

    Please support the security pilot program for Phoenix parks. This program should help police enforce laws designed to protect society from utter chaos. Phoenix and its parks are under siege by vagrants and drug addicts. We need to make tough decisions now to avoid becoming another Los Angeles. Tax-paying law-abiding citizens should be able to enjoy parks and facilities without fear of criminals and filthy homeless encampments.

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    Judy Walruff over 2 years ago

    I support the implementation of thepilot program to expand the use of security services. As a resident of District 1, I support the selection of Cortez Park. The proposal is strengthened with the provisiion for coordination with the the Parks and Recreation Department to work with the Office of Homeless Solutions to to add additional outreach services
    focusing on behavior health outreach. This coordiantion should be implemented concurrent with the pilot project.

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    Kelly Kwok over 2 years ago

    It’s truly disgusting that after years of Black and directly impacted leadership demanding LESS police and MORE Real solutions to community health - Council members Jim, Ann, Sal, and Debra brought this back to the agenda - now wanting 2x the $. It is up to you, Carlos, Betty, Laura, Yass, and Kate to vote NO and make sure that being unsheltered isn't further criminalized. Spend the money on solving the issue NOT criminalizing people.

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    Nancy Gillispie Hoyt over 2 years ago

    I fully support adding security monitors for our parks to remain open and safe for the public. It is vital for the parks to remain open for the community and essential that they are safe!

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    Rivko Knox over 2 years ago

    The people living in/hanging around Cortez Park, which is just a few miles from my home, need SERVICES vs. a private police force. Give them places to live & support services, We do not need more people in jails and prisons or to 'move them' from Cortez Park to some other park or streets. Let's use public funds to address causes vs. symptoms!!

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    Anna C over 2 years ago

    I strongly urge the council to vote NO on this agenda item. The funding could be spent on alternate programs that do not further criminalize or harass the most vulnerable in our communities.

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    Deborah Delwiche over 2 years ago

    No. But, park rangers and park employees should receive increases in pay. The transient/drug problem has increased with no solution to actually help this segment of population. This happens at our park - during the day - next to a school! People threatened.
    Drugs, sex acts, etc. No to funding for something that there will not be an real solution. Do not push more to our park. A more detail email with pictures sent to Ms. O'Brien, Mayor Gallego and our precinct police commander.

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    Jessica Goodsell over 2 years ago

    I strongly urge the council to vote NO on this agenda item. The most common violations in these areas are after-hours trespassing and having a shopping car in a public park (AKA unsheltered people trying to survive) and unauthorized vending (AKA poor people trying to survive). Private security will not make these parks safer. Please spend this money on community resources to help people instead of criminalizing the most vulnerable.

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    Sarah Pearlberg over 2 years ago

    I am writing to say I highly oppose the proposal to use additional funding to provide private security for an issue that is not a criminal issue but a social one. These funds could be used to actually provide resources instead of just criminalizing something that could happen to any one of us.

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    Amanda Chlan over 2 years ago

    I strongly encourage the city council to vote No on this agenda item. We do not need more money spent on criminalizing the unhoused.