05-1: Parks Safety Presentation — original pdf

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Parks Safety Briefing Austin Parks and Recreation & Austin Police May 19, 2026 AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION SYSTEM OVERVIEW 2026 20,041 Acres of Green Space 269 Miles of Trail 355 Parks Playgrounds, Venues & Other Spaces 2 TIMELINE AUSTIN PARK RANGERS AND POLICE 1968 2008 2021 First Park Rangers and grew to 10 commissioned peace officers under Austin Parks and Recreation (APR). Park Police consolidated from APR into the Austin Police Department (APD). APD Park Police units officially transitioned to General Police Patrol. 1985-1993 Renamed Park Police; expanded duties with Federal Park Ranger certification. 2008 Park Ranger Program established as ambassadors within APR and partners to APD. 3 PARK RANGER ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES  Visible Presence: Hike and bike patrols.  Responsible Recreation: Stewardship messaging.  Visitor Support: Information and guidance.  Responsive Service: Addressing park needs.  Targeted Education: High-impact outreach to areas of need. 4 PARK RANGERS OPERATIONS  23 Park Rangers  7 Days/Week  Zone System  Directed Patrols 5 PARK RANGER DATA COLLECTION 6 PARK RANGER CONTACTS FOR DOGS OFF LEASH HEAT MAP 2021-2026 7 APD & APR PARTNERSHIP AND SHARED MESSAGING  APD oversees all Public Safety as it relates to illegal activity.  APD & APR Meeting Agreement  Take, Lock, Hide Messaging  Security Cameras  Joint Operations Pilot Spring 2026 8 PARKS & RECREATION PUBLIC SAFETY SUPPORT Infrastructure Recommendations: Signage, Security Cameras, Limestone Blocks Focused Programming in Areas of Concern: Bark Rangers, Pop-up Events Park Ranger Joint Efforts with Partners including Austin Police Voluntary Compliance Through Contact With Park Rangers Parking Tickets and Warnings for Violations Third-Party Safety Audit 5/15/20 26 Public Safety In Parks 9 9 APR Security Audit: Strategy and Road Map Findings: • Property Crime: 80% of reported incidents larceny or motor vehicle thefts. • Rule Violations: Pet and alcohol violations most frequent • Physical Security Gaps: Lighting and visibility blind spots create vulnerabilities. Recommendations: • Governance: Centralize safety roles and standardize security protocols. • Activation: Through collaboration with APD and site activation to discourage bad behavior. • Infrastructure: Implement crime prevention through environmental design evaluations and standards including lighting improvements. 10 APR SECURITY AUDIT TRANSITION ROADMAP YEAR 1: GOVERNANCE  Security Manager  APR-wide guidelines  Audit facilities  Improve partnerships YEAR 2: OPERATIONS  Adopt safety design standards  Staff de-escalation training  Facility access control recommendations 11 Austin Police Department Public Safety Response in City Parks Summary of Austin Police Response Data 13 Calls for Service – Year-Over-Year by Month 14 Top 20 Parks with Arrests At the Scene or After an Investigation 15 Top 20 Parks with Calls for Service 16 Top 20 Calls for Service at Park Locations 17 Top 20 Park Locations with Reports Taken 18 Mounted Patrol  Deployment of Mounted Unit patrols began mid- March 2026  Focus on high-traffic parks, trails, and event areas  Proactive engagement with park visitors and community members  Provide information, directions, and assistance to the public  Support a welcoming and safe park environment  Deter unlawful activity through high-visibility patrols  Coordinate with park staff and other patrol units as needed  Monitor activity trends and adjust patrol coverage accordingly 19 Since March 2026, Mounted has Patrolled…  South Austin Neighborhood Park  Zilker Park  Emma Long Metropolitan Park  Spyglass Trail Head at Barton Creek  Bartholomew Park  Boggy Creek Greenbelt  Walnut Creek Park  Bull Creek Park  Onion Creek Park  Brownie Neighborhood Park  Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park  Circle C Park  Festival Beach  Metz Park/Lakeshore Metro  Waller Beach Metro  Barton Creek Park  Zaragoza Park  Lady Bird Lake Hike & Bike Trail 20 Engagement through Patrol 21 Data Methodology This report utilizes publicly available Austin Parks and Recreation (PARD) shapefiles integrated with municipal law enforcement data. To ensure spatial accuracy, we performed an inner join between the geographic shapefiles and our SQL database using coordinate pairs (Latitude/Longitude and X/Y projections). Data Sources The analysis incorporates the following datasets covering the 2024–2025 period, pulled without initial pre-filtering to maintain data integrity: Calls for Service: Comprehensive emergency and non-emergency dispatch logs. Police Reports: Official documented incidents and case files. Arrests: Formal custody records. Note on Data Accessibility: While portions of these datasets are available via the Open Data Portal, the internal SQL versions were utilized because the public sets lack the granular coordinate columns required for a precise spatial join with PARD shapefiles. Data Processing & Filtering To refine the raw data into actionable insights, the following logic was applied post-join: Spatial Validation: The inner join acts as a primary filter; only records with coordinates physically located within the defined boundaries of the PARD shapefiles are included. Data Cleaning: Records missing essential information—specifically those with blank or null "Initial Call Descriptions"—were excluded. Performance Metrics: Average response time calculations were restricted to Priority 0, 1, 2, and 3 calls to focus on high-impact incidents. Administrative Filtering: Obsolete categories or those used strictly for internal administrative logging (non-patrol activities) were removed to prevent statistical skew. 22 Questions? Austin Parks and Recreation | Austin Police May 12, 2026 23