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City to expand park security patrols citywide; public reporting planned
Summary
Public Lands staff briefed the council on an FY26 initiative to expand foot patrols, restroom locking and gate closures, and coordination with police in selected parks; daily incident reporting will be shared with operations.
City staff told the council the FY26 budget included funding to expand security patrols in selected parks to address vandalism, overnight use, and safety concerns. The patrol model described by staff includes foot patrols and walkthroughs, structure assessments with photos, locking park restrooms citywide where appropriate, gate closures, enforcement of park‑closure hours, patrol of sensitive areas, and coordination with the Salt Lake City Police Department for enforcement when needed.
Staff listed parks already in patrol operation (Liberty, Fairmont, Herman Franks, Allen Park) and said additional parks will begin receiving patrols on July 11 (Glendale, Jordan, International Peace Gardens, Cottonwood, Riverside, Fisherman's, and certain Jordan River Parkway areas). Park operations staff said daily incident reports will be created and shared with Public Lands operations and used to coordinate responses with SLC Police; staff also said they are working to improve data sharing among contracted security, park rangers, and other city divisions.
Councilors asked clarifying questions about the patrol model (not full overnight 12‑hour security), restroom decisions (locked vs permanently welded restrooms), and how to report incidents. Staff said restroom closure and lock decisions would be clarified after the meeting and committed to provide follow‑up. A council member advised residents to report observed camping or safety issues to ensure incidents are recorded and addressed.
Staff invited further feedback from council about the reporting format and asked councilors to identify desired additional metrics; they said more detailed reporting would be available as the program rolled out.
