Appleton Police Department 222 South Walnut Street - Appleton, WI 54911-5899 (920) 832-5500 To: Alderperson Joe Martin Chairperson Park and Recreation Alderperson Kyle Lobner Chairperson Safety and Licensing From: Chief Todd Thomas Date: July 8, 2015 Subject: Park Security and Alcohol Issues Chairpersons Martin and Lobner; We have experienced a noticeable increase in disruptive, disorderly and nuisance activity in some downtown parks recently. The activity has festered to the point it is not only affecting the parks but has seeped out into the neighborhoods and the downtown business district. From my 30 years of law enforcement experience I know that the majority of this activity is caused by alcohol abuse, generally in downtown parks. Because of this it is unusual for a city the size of Appleton to allow alcohol in parks without a permit. 1 know from prior experiences that this is an issue that we cannot be indifferent to. It will continue to grow and it will impact people?s perceptions of our city and our downtown. The Parks and Recreation Department has now had to move programs to different parks because of participants feeling uncomfortable in some parks, people not signing up for programs, and the facilities management staff feeling unsafe at times when doing maintenance in certain parks. 1 met with our Community Liaison Of?cers and District Captains to get a better understanding of the history behind this issue. I also assigned an of?cer to research park activity for the downtown area parks. A similar study was done in 1998-2004 and some of that information is attached to this memo. The issue of alcohol abuse in the parks has been discussed several times going back at least 15 years and it is important to understand how we got to where we are now. This is a report but I believe that understanding the background of this issue will help you understand why the Police and the Park and Recreation Departments are recommending a change in the park ordinance. have included a letter from the directors of our two local homeless shelters supporting a more restrictive ordinance. They believe the current park ordinance creates a ?refuge? for transients and substance abusers that is causing harm to the community and undermining their ability to help these clients. This is a unique partnership, not seen elsewhere, that speaks to the seriousness of this problem. We are grateful for their willingness to work with us to address this problem. Thank you for taking the time to review this and we look forward to working with you to make the parks a safe place that can be used by all, while also helping those who are homeless or battling substance abuse succeed. ?Exce/lence in Police Service Eight/?g Crime and Solvmg Prob/ems" Page 1 Appleton Police Department 222 South Walnut Street Appleton, WI 54911-5899 (920) 832?5500 Historical Background 1998 - 2001 Park Rescue Project CLO Pat Dewall and Steve Elliot Returning Appleton?s Parks to the People Program This was a project completed by the in 1998 to address this problem. The program received a national award for problem solving policing. The following park problems were identified by analyzing data and receiving input from officers and community members that were being affected; I Transient alcoholics were responsible for majority of criminal/nuisance behavior in the parks. I Citizens and city employees using the parks frequently complained about being harassed. I Public use of the parks decreased due to the perception of the parks being unsafe. I Officers spent a disproportionate amount of time handling disturbance calls in the affected parks when compared to parks in other areas of the city. I Schools, daycare centers, and the YMCA stopped using certain parks. I An increase in homeless shelters created an influx of transients to the community. I The majority of alcohol related complaints came from the parks in the downtown area. I The shelters, food pantries, and drop in centers were located in the downtown area. I There were no regulations on alcohol use in parks. I Parks became frequent gathering spot for drinkers who started drinking early in the morning. I The park regulars were regularly drunk by noon. I Their presence and intoxicated state gave them a sense of ownership of the parks. I Interviews of residents and people who used the parks revealed the majority of harassment and criminal behavior was not reported and the citizens felt the park was unsafe so they quit using the parks. The following goals were pursued: 1. Eliminate criminal activity from the parks 2. Restore sense of safety to those legally using the parks 3. Reduce calls for service 4. Facilitate intervention for alcoholics City Response: Community members and the police worked together to change the ordinance to restrict alcohol before noon (0rd 13.74). A process was also put in place to evict those involved in illegal activity in the parks. Community shelters started using street workers to intervene and connect with those needing services assist them and monitor their behavior. Results: Over three year period, in six targeted parks there was an 89% decrease in alcohol related incidents. Calls for service over those three years also decreased by 38%. "Excellence in Police Service ?ghting Crime and 50/ ving Prob/ems" Page 2 Appleton Police Department 222 South Walnut Street - Appleton, WI 54911-5899 lunscous-IN (920) 832?5500 Alcohol Related Calls for Service 25?l El 1098 I 1990 El 2000 2001 2002 El 2003 I 2004 Nicia Park Arbutus Park City Park Jones Park Lulz Park Pierce Park Annual Calls for Police Services 1001900 uses 02000 ?7 - I 02001 1" I 2002 40? - - 2003 . .. I I2004 PI L?'l I I I - ll! Alicia Park P000015 Park Cil},I Park Jones Park Luiz Park Pierce Park "Excellence in Police Sen/ire Cr/me and 50/ why Prob/ems" Page 3 Appleton Police Department 222 South Walnut Street Appleton, WI 54911-5899 (920) 832?5500 WISCONSIN 2008 Jones Park and Arbutus Park complaints In May of 2008 the issue of alcohol in the parks was again brought before the Park and Recreation Committee as an informational item. A request was made by the Police Department to modify the park ordinance to limit the possession and consumption of alcohol in James Park and Arbutus Park because of complaints similar to those from 1998. The same issues were re- emerging; I There was a noticeable increase in disturbances, drug dealing, panhandling and harassment, public urination and defecation, littering and criminal damage to city property. I It was very dif?cult to proactively address issues because the offenders could see of?cers approach. 0 A CLO told the committee he was in Arbutus Park almost daily for the above issues. I The parks became a safe haven for all kinds of criminal activity. I City resources where being wasted trying to monitor and regulate behavior. These were resources not being used to deal with other community and neighborhood issues. 0 Community Service Of?cers were intimidated going into parks and calls for service were much higher in the downtown parks In July of 2008 the Park and Recreation Committee discussed the issues and asked for more data to be compiled before moving ahead. The committee eventually decided it was too late in the summer to address the issue and wanted to wait until 2009. 2013 Animals/Alcohol in the Park changes The Park and Recreation Committee was addressing park rules related to animals in the parks. The Health and Police Departments were involved in the discussion only related to animals in the parks. At a committee meeting a motion was made to move the time alcohol was allowed in the parks back to 9:00am. The Park and Recreation Department was against it and explained that legitimate park users already had the opportunity to get an extension to the hours by getting a permit signed by the Director or their designee. The Police Department was not involved in the discussion of changing the hour?s alcohol was allowed in the parks. "Excel/ence in Police Service Crime and Son/mg Prob/ems" Page 4 Appleton Police Department in II I I 222 South Walnut Street Appleton, WI 54911-5899 f?vix?aomsim (920) 832?5500 - December 11. 2013 The Park and Recreation Committee addressed the park rules .as an informational item on December 11, 2013, and as an action item on January 8, 2014. A motion was made to change the time alcohol was allowed from 9:00pm to 10:00pm. 0 Another motion was made to move the starting time you could have alcohol in the parks back 10:00am. There was discussion about shelters being rented for bridal showers and similar events that usually started earlier in the day and were done by 2:00pm. The committee felt the renters should be able to enjoy a drink. 0 Almost all the discussion was about the issue of allowing dogs in the parks and how it would affect the safety of the parks and impact the public?s use of the parks in a negative way. 2015 Park Safety Issues Our mission as a city is to meet the community?s needs and enhance the quality of life in our neighborhoods. The Police Departments mission is to provide excellent police service to the community and all we serve. To adhere to our mission we are bringing this information forward for council to review and potentially update our ordinance. We have seen a noticeable increase in activity in some of the donmtown parks in the past year. The issues are the same issues that have been addressed over- the years. Modi?cations to hours temporarily mitigated the issues but did not solve them; 0 Transient alcoholic?s criminal and nuisance behavior in the parks is growing. 0 Citizens and city employees using the parks are being harassed. 0 Officers are spending a disproportionate amount of time handling disturbance calls in the affected parks as compared to parks in other areas of the city (see chart). 0 The majority of alcohol related complaints came from the parks in the downtown area. 0 Some parks have become frequent gathering spots for drinkers who start drinking early in the morning. The park regulars are frequently drunk by noon. 0 Their presence and intoxication have given them a sense of ownership of the parks. On May 12, 2015, Captain Freeman requested more patrols in Jones Park and Arbutus Park because of complaints about the above behavior from the community and Of?cers working in the area. Officers were told to patrol the parks and aggressively enforce park rules related to alcohol. ?Excellence in Police Service Figher Crime and Solving Prob/ems" Page 5 Appleton Police Department 222 South Walnut Street Appleton, WI 54911-5899 (920) 832-5500 Clearly the majority of the unwanted behavior was related to alcohol use. The ability to start drinking in the parks at 10:00am frequently means that by noon there are several drunken people sleeping, causing disturbances, and harassing citizens in the park. We have received complaints of intoxicated people having sex during the day in the middle of the park, open air drug dealing, heroin arrests, people defecating in the park and leaving the used toilet paper lying around, vomit by the pavilion from intoxicated people, aggressive panhandling and harassment, and similar types of behavior. These behaviors have spread into our downtown area and we are getting more complaints from downtown businesses about the drunken activity of some of these people including panhandling in their businesses, thefts, using their bathrooms to ?shower? in, stealing their toilet paper and other supplies, and presenting a poor image for our downtown business and community. I met with Scott Peeples and Jerome Martin from the two main homeless shelters and talked about the city?s concerns. They submitted the attached letter that explains their concerns about the current ordinance. They believe the current ordinance is effectively undermining the street workers and their shelters ability to deal with their clients issues. A ?refuge? has been created for them that inhibits any intervention and makes the problem worse. We agree with their assessment. We felt it appropriate to review the ordinances of the surrounding communities because of the patchwork of boundaries in the Fox Cities and what we feel is a need to be consistent with others. Comparable Ordinances Ordinances in the Fox River Valley: Appleton Allowed in all parks No permit needed Town Menasha Allowed in all parks No permit needed Kimberly Allowed with a permit only Menasha Allowed with a permit only Little Chute Allowed with a permit only Grand Chute Allowed with a permit only Neenah Not allowed at all "Excellence in Police Service ?ghting Crime and Soil/Mg Prob/ems" Page 6 Appleton Police Department 19.; vi. 222 South Walnut Street - Appleton, WI 54911-5899 ?linemen (920) 832-5500 I?ve attached several graphs. as informational items. This is the total calls for police service for the six parks in the downtown area. The numbers for 2015 are for only the ?rst six months of the year. The trend lines for Jones, Arbutus, and Pierce Parks are disturbing. Many of these calls were created by proactive activities of our of?cers to walk the parks and address the complaints. 2010 2015 Total Calls for Service 140 ?f 120 100 I Jones 80 I Lutz 60 I Pierce I Arbutus 40 I Alicia 20 I City 0 2010 CFS 2011 CFS 2012 CFS 2013 CFS 2014 CFS 6 months of 2015 CFS Jan June ,1 ONLY -f 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 . CFS CFS CFS CFS CFS CFS Jones 36 71 86 82 121 117 Lutz 35 35 50 45 48 21 Pierce 80 92 88 101 102 60 Arbutus 32 28 41 32 31 80 Alicia 4 3 9 4 14 7 City 77 67 91 57 47 28 ?Excellence in Police Service Fighting Crime and Solving Prob/ems" Page 7 Appleton Police Department Cg? I . l'i 222 South Walnut Street - Appleton, WI 54911-5899 viscomsm (920) 832-5500 The below graphs are if the trend lines continue for the rest of the year for all the parks. 2015 Proiecftions if trend line continues 250 200 lJones 150 I Lutz I Pierce 100 lArbutus I Alicia a City 2010 CPS 2011 CFS 2012 CPS 2013 CFS 2014 CPS 2015 projected 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 CFS CFS CFS CFS projected Pierce 80 92 88 101 102 120 Arbutus 32 28 41 32 31 160 Alicia 4 3 9 4 14 14 City 77 67 91 57 47 56 "Excellence in Police Service thl'ihg Crime and Solving Problems" Page 8 POLICE City of I a Appleton Poltce Department W?r 222 South Walnut Street Appleton, WI 54911-5899 (920) 832?5500 Three Parks with the highest number of Callsfor Service 2010 to 2015 250 200 150 lJones 100 I Pierce . Arbutus 2010 CFS 2011 CFS 2012 CFS 2013 CFS 2014 CFS 2015 projected The below is a comparison of calls for service from the ?rst Park Rescue Project from 1998. 1998 to 2015 Comparison Calls for Service 250 200 150 100 IJones I lPierce 50 . A .. - I Arbutus