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Concerned about security in the Town of Lansing's parks, Town officials have decided to hire park monitors this season.  In past years the position has been filled by retired police officers, but Town Supervisor Scott Pinney says that there hasn't been interest in the position by experienced officers this season.  Instead the Town will hire 'laborer' positions, people who will monitor the parks and call the Sheriff or State Troopers if official action is required.

"We used to use retired police officers," Pinney says.  "Obviously we had to pay them a lot more money, and we don't seem to have any that are interested at this time.  We're thinking about hiring a 'laborer position' that would monitor the parks, just to have somebody around once in a while to keep an eye on things for us."

Pinney says the position could be young or older people or anyone in between, and no official training or certification is required.  Town officials will work with the monitors on in-house training with Town Councilman Marty Christopher and Park Superintendent Steve Colt.  Monitors will be identified shirts and jackets provided by the Town.  Colt says that last year the Town had two retired police in the parks.  At the lower cost he says he would like to have one or two more than that, noting the Town can get twice as much coverage for less money.

"There are two ways we gain in this," he says.  "We gain because we will save a little money.  We also have the potential to more than double our coverage if need be.  I think we'll do it with equal quality people."

Deputy Supervisor Connie Wilcox says there haven't been any real problems in the park, but the Town wants to have a presence there so people will feel safe and as a pro-active preventative measure.

"Even when we had retired police officers down at the park, if there was a problem they still had to call the Sheriff's Department or State troopers to come down and actually make arrests," says Wilcox.  "They didn't have any more authority than a park monitor would have."

"We certainly don't want people getting into scuffles down there and have that liability," Pinney says.  "We would rather have professionals come in and take care of those situations."

Wilcox also notes that camp ground managers at Myers Park also keep an eye on things.  Pinney says that it is important to have a presence in the park for large events.

"We like to have two people on through the entire day for big events like the Harbor Festival or the concerts at night," Pinney says.  "We have a couple of shifts of them.  They're there to help with different  things and keep an eye on things.  It's somebody around representing the Town."

The Town is advertising now for applicants for the 'laborer positions,' and hopes to hire candidates next week.

"It's just a presence," Christopher says.  "There have been a few early issues with destruction of property, but as long as we get somebody now, scheduled for certain times during the year to keep an eye on things it should work out."

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