It’s not all sunshine and rainbows at NYC parks. A recent crime surge there has provoked the City Council into calling for them to have more security cameras and enforcement officers. It came in response to the publishing of Mayor Eric Adams’s budget Monday.
The city recorded 231 crimes against people in parks from July through September last year; that is up from 179 during the same period of 2021, according to the preliminary Mayor’s Management Report. The report also says there were 223 property crimes in parks from July through September last year, and that total is up from 175 during the same portion of 2021.
Those figures served as a foundation for the City Council’s request for security. The parks department currently employs one officer for every 100 acres, and the Council’s proposal would double that figure.
Cameras are also central to the proposal, though it is not clear how many there already are at parks across the five boroughs.
“As a measure to improve security in New York City parks, the Council calls on the Administration to include additional capital funding for security cameras in City parks,” the Council wrote in its budget response.
“We are committed to making our parks greener, cleaner and safer,” said Dan Kastanis, a parks department spokesperson. “The budget conversation is just beginning, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners in government to shape the final budget as the process continues.”
June is the due date for the city’s budget for the next fiscal year. City Council is hoping the final product will show some concern for the parks.
