The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Joplin Metro

Related Photos

Discussion

July 17, 2009

Volunteers needed to help Joplin police watch city parks

By Anne Hershewe

news@joplinglobe.com

The Joplin Police Department and the Joplin Parks and Recreation Department have started a Park Watch Program to help keep city parks safe and clean.

The police department wants volunteers to keep an eye on their neighborhood parks. These volunteers would work with the JPD to report crimes or suspicious activity, and will have regular meetings to talk with police officers about park safety.

Parks in the program are: Wildcat, Grand Falls, McIndoe, Parr Hill, Schifferdecker, Landreth, Leonard, Humphrey, Mohaska, Spiva, Roanoke, McClelland, Garvin and Cunningham.

Doug Joyce, director of the Joplin Parks and Recreation Department, said there wasn’t any incident that sparked the program. It evolved, he said, because of the fact that “parks are getting used more.”

The JPD has police officers on bicycles who have been patrolling parks since mid-June.

“We would like to have three or four people per park,” said Sgt. Darren Gallup, of the JPD Special Enforcement Unit. “It’s really kind of an off-shoot of the Neighborhood Watch Program.”

Gallup also said: “We are noticing an increase in different reports coming from the parks.”

Most were reports of property damage such as vandalism and graffiti.

Gallup said the main goal is to stop small crimes before they escalate.

“The biggest thing we’re trying to do is take a proactive step to ensure continued safety of the parks,” he said.

Everett Ruark, of Seneca, was at Cunningham Park with his sons last week and said the program would be beneficial for the community.

Jack and Jeannie Dickson, of Joplin, were have lunch at Schifferdecker Park last week and both seemed excited about the new program.

“It’s a wonderful park. (But) there’s always vandals and graffiti. You can’t stop that,” said Jack Dickson, pointing to the marks on the picnic table.

“It’s a wonderful idea,” added Jeannie Dickson.





Text Only
Joplin Metro
  • Ruby-Sapp-obit.jpg Longtime Democrat dies at 81

    Sapp, 81, died Thursday. Funeral services were Monday at the First Presbyterian Church of Joplin. A longtime Jasper County Democratic committeewoman and volunteer, Sapp for years was secretary to the county’s central committee.

    August 9, 2010 1 Photo

  • Nixon: Joplin offers 'a beacon of hope'

    Two days ago, after seeing the devastating destruction in Oklahoma, Nixon said, "I believe that you are something else too, something the people of Moore need right now. A word we all remember seeing, in front of the old high school, made from duct tape: Hope.

    May 22, 2013

  • Grant enables 20th Street Project to move forward

    A $20 million grant from the Economic Development Administration, announced at Joplin's tornado anniversary event today, will enable the 20th Street Project and the building of a new Joplin Public Library to move forward.

    May 22, 2013

  • Weather delays opening of Schifferdecker water park

    Wet spring weather has delayed work on the Schifferdecker Aquatic Center, and it will not open over Memorial Day weekend, city officials said today.

    May 17, 2013

  • Commission: Vote about curbside recycling would be only advisory

    Council members, in a special meeting April 8, heard a proposal and gave informal approval to hold a special election Aug. 6 on the question of whether voters want to implement curbside recycling.

    May 2, 2013

  • EDA awards Joplin schools funding for Franklin Tech

    The grant was sought for the school district to help rebuild Franklin Technical School as part of an effort to obtain redevelopment funding for Joplin.

    March 15, 2013

  • Reception to honor Joplin superintendent

    A reception is planned to honor C.J. Huff, one of four finalists for Superintendent of the Year, chosen by the American Association of School Administrators

    February 28, 2013

  • State MLK commission names Joplin mayor for leadership award

    Joplin's mayor Melodee Colbert-Kean has been named the recipient of this year's leadership award by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Celebration Commission.

    January 10, 2013

  • Worker injured at new hospital site

    A construction worker injured in a fall Thursday at the site where the new Mercy Hospital Joplin is being built was reported to be in fair condition at a local hospital.

    January 4, 2013

  • Oklahoma prison escapee caught in Joplin

    The Newton County Sheriff's Department captured an escape from an Oklahoma prison today after locating him inside a house on Joplin's south side.

    November 12, 2012

Facebook
Poll

President Barack Obama recently made a decision to arm the rebels in Syria's civil war, in which nearly 100,000 people have been killed. Do you support the decision to arm the rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's regime?

A. Yes.
B. No.
     View Results
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
NDN Video
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29 Military Plans to Put Women in Combat Jobs Solar Power Chargers in NYC Parks Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy