Armed G4S Security officers will patrol Tempe parks
Tempe AZ October 25 2018
Armed security guards will soon patrol some Tempe parks.
The Tempe City Council on Monday unanimously approved spending $250,000 to hire G4S, a global security services company.
The idea is to ease residents’ concerns about safety and trash in parks. But some residents are concerned by what they see as the militarization of city parks.
Tempe police will deploy the uniformed security to select parks on a pilot basis through June.
Guards will carry firearms, stun guns and pepper spray, Tempe police Cmdr. Mike Horn told The Arizona Republic.
G4S already provides armed security at the city’s Escalante Multi-Generational Center and the Library Complex. Horn said the guards helped decrease crime, which he hopes to replicate at parks.
Reported crime at city parks is low, but there are issues with criminal damage, drug use and disorderly conduct, Horn said. Another common issue is people walking their dogs without leashes, he said.
“If you look at the citizen community survey, one of the concerns that some have expressed is the overall safety in parks. People are fed up,” Horn told The Republic.
But the idea of armed guards patrolling parks irks some Tempe residents who criticized the move on social media. Beyond militarization of parks, they raised concerns that the city is deploying guards to police the homeless population. They question whether hiring a security firm, rather than funding social services programs, is the proper use of city resources.
No residents spoke out either way at the meeting. Tempe leaders received emails from 30 residents in support of more security and about a dozen emails from residents opposed, according to Nikki Ripley, a city spokeswoman.
Police officers patrol the parks but “they can’t be there all of the time,” Horn said.
G4S security guards are licensed through the state and many have law enforcement experience or are certified through the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, he said.
Guards receive 40 hours of training that includes de-escalation and use-of-force procedures. Armed guards receive additional training in firearms, stun guns and pepper spray use.
The guards will go through a two-day training to familiarize them with the park environment and city ordinances, Horn said. They also will be trained by La Frontera Empact, a mental-health agency in Tempe, on how to work with the city’s homeless population and recognize mental-health issues.
Tempe police officers went through similar training earlier this year, he said.
Councilwoman Robin Arredondo-Savage said parks are one of the city’s most important amenities and she praised police for “out-of-the-box thinking” to address residents’ concerns.
Guards will be fully deployed by the end of November, Horn said.
He said guards will be on patrol from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. but that schedule is likely to change.
Guards will first be deployed to Hudson and Clark parks based on feedback from residents, police and Public Works employees. The program is expected to expand to about 10 parks, and guards will patrol the parks on a rotating schedule. The city is still developing the list of parks where guards will be deployed.
On-duty park officers also will patrol the parks, with the goal of having about 160 hours of weekly coverage, he said.
Before the vote, Tempe residents on Facebook questioned whether hiring private security was the right approach.
Tempe resident Justin Stewart, a neighborhood activist who ran for the City Council earlier this year, wrote on Facebook that guards are often less trained than police officers on how to de-escalate situations. He said the city should instead spend the money to find solutions to homelessness.
“I don’t want my public spaces to be filled with cop wannabes or cops. Kinda puts a damper on using a rec space if it is under state surveillance,” he wrote.
Joan Westlake said she is concerned this will push those living in parks into the neighborhoods.
Vice Mayor Lauren Kuby said she initially opposed the measure but changed her mind after learning that the guards will participate in La Frontera’s behavioral health first aid training. Still, she said this is a short-term solution.
Horn said it’s not about the homeless camping out in city parks.
“This is about behavior in our parks that needs to be addressed. A parent that loses his mind on a referee and starts making threats, it applies to that person as much as it does to anyone else,” he said. “The parks are for everybody, and we want to make sure everybody can enjoy them.”
AZCentral
