PHOENIX — The Phoenix City Council voted Wednesday to move forward with a pilot program that would hire private security guards to patrol eight city public parks during the overnight hours.
The plan calls for the security guards to take over for Phoenix park rangers, who work in the parks during the day, and ensure people aren't camping or trespassing in the parks after hours.
Some Phoenix parks have come under scrutiny for large numbers of police calls, people using drugs out in the open, and large numbers of homeless gathering there.
"It's exhausting," Morgan Sailor said. "The neighbors here are exhausted they're exhausted from trying for two years and not having any effect."
Sailor lives in the area near Perry Park at 32nd Street and Thomas Road. Perry Park is one of the parks with the most police calls.
Sailor said she's for any program that has a chance at helping make the park a place she's comfortable going.
“I'm really hoping that it will have an impact," she said.
During Wednesday's City Council meeting, however, the council members were split on whether the city should outsource the job to private security.
Private security guards would have no enforcement authority. They can't write citations or make arrests, they would have to call the police for that.
Park rangers, which the city already has, can write citations for trespassing. They can't make arrests either.
But, park rangers are city employees, which makes them more expensive than hired security guards from a private company.
Some council members questioned whether the city would be better served to wait and put more money and effort into building up the park ranger ranks. Currently, there are 30 rangers in the city.
Other council members said they viewed the program as an immediate fix to the problem that was better than doing nothing.
The council voted 5-4 to approve the pilot program at eight parks across the city.
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