Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Park Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Evansville police report park patrol activity; highlight Greenway homeless camps, two new cameras and limits to banning individuals from public parks
Summary
Evansville police officers who patrol city parks reported increased presence on the Greenway of homeless camps and litter-related issues. Officers said they have added two cameras this year at Westwood and Mickey's and explained enforcement limits for long-term encampments; the board praised officers' presence and responsiveness.
Lieutenant Matt Kargas of the Evansville Police Department briefed the Board of Parks Commission on Oct. 1 about park patrol activity and common incident patterns in the last six months.
Kargas said park officers and other Evansville police respond to dispatch runs and conduct frequent park walkthroughs and patrols. He said the Greenway and adjacent green spaces have seen multiple homeless camps, where officers commonly encounter littering, graffiti and other nuisance or criminal activity. Officers said their primary tactic for transient campers is enforcement of park hours — parks close at 11 p.m. — and that established encampments that amount to residency require additional legal steps, including eviction procedures.
“We try to find them before it gets to that point,” Kargas said of encampments, describing warnings and coordinated outreach with homeless-service partners when feasible.
Kargas and Officer Fossey reported two new cameras installed this year: one at the Westwood playground entrance and another at Mickey’s restroom area between the skate park and the playground. Kargas said staff and the parks director are pursuing quotes for additional cameras but noted equipment and installation costs are substantial.
Board members asked about legal authority to ban individuals from parks; Kargas said the department is working with the city attorney (Attorney Stahl) to clarify whether a formal park-ban authority could be implemented. He told the board that on public property the department’s immediate tools are limited to on-the-spot removal and enforcement of park rules.
Parks staff and the board gave officers public thanks for attendance at events, timely responses to reports of vandalism or lighting outages, and regular presence at community events.
