City Increases Staff of Parks Patrolmen

City Increases Staff of Parks Patrolmen

By HOWARD MEGDAL

The new city budget includes funding for 178 Parks Enforcement Patrolmen, an increase of 28 from last year.

The move came after a lobbying effort, led by Councilman Joseph Addabbo, Jr., highlighted the negative effects of the Mayor's preliminary Parks Department allotment, which would have eliminated half of the PEPs at a savings of $9 million.

Union, 'Parks' Thrilled

"The union would like to thank the Mayor and the City Council for restoring our seasonal budget," District Council 37 Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal, whose union represents Parks Department employees, said in a June 30 interview. "We hope to see these officers made permanent in the future."

Parks Department Commissioner Adrian P. Benepe also praised the move. "It's great news, because not only do we keep the gains we made, we add to them," he said in a June 30 interview. "It enables us to maintain a double shift within the boroughs. From earlier in the morning to late at night, PEP officers will be taking care of quality-of-life issues."

He noted that the larger number of PEP officers will allow for "us to keep a PEP presence in the parks. Normally, in the summertime, we need to move them to the beaches and pools. This allows us to maintain an effective quality-of-life control in the parks. It is great reinforcement by the City Council about the importance of parks."

Councilman Addabbo said he was "ecstatic. These PEP officers provide a critical service for our city. It means additional safety and security for our citizens, and also jobs. As [Chairman of the Civil Service and Labor Committee], I love the word jobs."