PALMDALE – The City of Palmdale is calling on you to be the eyes and ears of its parks and playgrounds. In a press conference Tuesday, the City launched its Park Watch Program, a public safety effort that encourages residents to report and prevent crime and vandalism to City playgrounds, park equipment and park facilities.
“We’ve invested over $500 million in our parks and we intend to keep them beautifully maintained and safe,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. “And our residents can help keep them safe through our Park Watch.”
Ledford said the initiative is similar to the City’s Neighborhood Watch Program, which now has more than 420 neighborhoods enrolled. Similar to how the Neighborhood Watch Program calls on residents to report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods, the Park Watch Program calls on park patrons and nearby residents to report suspicious activities in parks and playgrounds.
“You can have the most beautiful park in the country, but unless residents feel safe, they’re not going to enjoy the benefits of that beautiful park,” said Councilmen Tom Lackey. “Park Watch is going to encourage users to be an extra set of eyes and ears for the Sheriff’s Department and Parks and Recreation.”
“It’s easy to get involved,” said Parks and Recreation manager Keri Brady. “We just need you to observe and report.”
Park Watch asks residents to report activities as follows:
- To report a fire, medical emergency, or crime in progress, call 911.
- To report a suspicious person, vehicle or activity that concerns you, or to report a crime that has already been committed, call the Palmdale Sheriff Station’s non-emergency number at 661-272-2400.
- To report maintenance issues, equipment failure (such as lights not working), facility vandalism, broken or unsafe equipment, call the City’s 24-hour hotline at 661-947-7433 and select option ‘5’.
- For all other concerns, call the City’s 24-hour hotline at 661-947-7433 and select option ‘6’ for Park Watch.
During the press conference, City officials also unveiled the new Park Watch signs, which will soon be posted at all park sites to encourage residents to continue to keep an eye out for suspicious activities while at the City’s parks and playgrounds. For more information on the Park Watch program, visit the Park Watch page on the City’s website.
