Residents urge tighter controls and patrols at Jean Clark Park after shooting and late‑night incidents

Residents of Edgewater Dunes and nearby neighborhoods urged the Benton Harbor City Commission to take immediate steps to improve safety at Jean Clark Park after a recent shooting and repeated late‑night dangerous behavior.

At the meeting, Ramona Vicus said she has seen “people smoking pot, potentially weird stuff…with what to me looks like drug deals or potential prostitution” and described cars circling the north end of the park late at night. “My daughter's a runner and runs there alone often,” she said, and asked the commission for “more patrolling.”

Jacqueline Elliot, who said the shooting was likely the work of people from out of town, told the commission the removal of a staffed gate house, physical gates and road spikes has “left the park without meaningful access, control, or deterrence.” She proposed reinstalling physical barriers, restoring a staffed entry point and instituting evening foot and bike patrols, traffic‑calming measures and a summer beach safety task force.

Other speakers — including Lauren Nelson, Steve Winkler, Amy Neil, John Gable and Greg Schwar — gave similar accounts of drag‑racing, drifting near playgrounds and repeated nighttime gatherings that residents said made families uncomfortable. Several residents said they had shared video and license‑plate information with the sheriff’s office.

Director Dan McInness acknowledged the problem and told residents staff has scheduled a meeting the next day with the county sheriff and Director Newbecker to coordinate an interjurisdictional response. “We got caught with our pants down,” McInness said, adding that the department will pursue immediate deployments and long‑term steps.

McInness and other staff detailed measures the city plans to take in the near term: targeted patrol rotations in hot spots including Jean Clark Park, Broadway and downtown; newly hired parking attendants to work during the park’s open hours and report inappropriate activity to police; and outreach so residents can send photos and video to non‑emergency lines. The fire and code division also noted a beach safety grant that will place life rings and buoys to mark swim areas this weekend, and staff said the cameras along the park have been inconsistent and are being addressed.

On the question of gates, staff said prior legal guidance following past litigation prevented locking park gates because of access restrictions; the city attorney will review that guidance at staff request.

Next steps recorded in the meeting record: a multi‑agency meeting with the sheriff’s office and neighboring jurisdictions is set for the following day; staff will deploy additional patrol rotations and parking attendants during the summer season; and staff will collect resident contact information and videos to support enforcement and situational awareness.