Tracy Press

The city's parks commission will discuss a proposal tonight to have residents keep an eye on parks like many do in the Neighborhood Watch program.

The Tracy Police department is looking for community members for a new watch group to monitor the parks around Tracy, including Alden Park shown here. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

Tracy police are asking for the public to team up with officers to protect neighborhood parks from vandalism, crime and misuse of park property by proposing a new Park Watch program. Similar to Neighborhood Watch, Park Watch is designed to create community pride in city parks as the public joins forces with local police to keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior in public parks.

If voted in tonight during the commission meeting, Park Watch will kick off in conjunction with a special commission meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in El Pescadero Park.

“We’re trying to give the people ownership of the parks, to take pride and to watch over them,” Lt. Jeremy Watney of the Tracy Police Department said. “We’re looking for ways to curb graffiti and vandalism, which is costing the city quite a bit of money.”

The proposal grew from discussions officers had with residents in northern Tracy about crime in their neighborhood. Officers met with residents near El Pescadero Park about problems in that area.

Residents offered to help keep watch over El Pescadero Park to report any suspicious events. The success of this morphed into Park Watch when officers decided to take it citywide.

“We are listening to the community and being responsive,” said Capt. John Espinoza in a press release.

Watney will oversee Park Watch and said residents are not expected to patrol the parks, but rather to watch over them especially if they live next to a one. Over the next few weeks, police cadets will canvas homes around all of the city parks and place informative hangers about the plan on doors that face parks.

“If you live next to a park, you may receive a door hanger in the next few weeks with

suggestions on how we can do this together,” Watney said. “Some of these ideas are calling the police department when people are in the park after hours or calling when you see the park being misused.”

He said door hangers will have Graffiti Hotline and other important phone numbers, such as the parks department.

For information: Watney, 831-6687.

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At a glance

WHAT: Tracy Police Department Park Watch

WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: El Pescadero Park, 301 W. Grant Line Road

INFO: 831-6687

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written by briandub , September 04, 2008

from all the activity I have read about in the police blotter the last few weeks, we should think about changing it from a "neighborhood park watch" program to the more accurate "neighborhood watch the teenagers have sex" program