Crime Explodes In Union Square Park Area

On Sunday a police officer walked through an area some law enforcement officials have dubbed Methadone Alley. The section is a bench-lined path located on the East Side of Union Square Park. The heavily used park is in close proximity to numerous methadone clinics. Police have made 182 arrests in the park and surrounding area from April 1 - May 9th alone. (Photos: © Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates.) Click on images to enlarge.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Crime in Union Square Park and the surrounding area has exploded.

Police have made 182 arrests in the park and vicinity from April 1- May 9th alone according to information obtained by NYC Park Advocates. Since January the NYPD have made 84 narcotic arrests in the 6 acre park according to an NYPD spokesperson. Most of the drug related incidents have occurred on the Park's East path - aka Methadone Alley.

Drug addicts being treated in the area's numerous methadone clinics have been overdosing and committing crimes. Incidents range from violent to drug and alcohol offenses.

Police have responded by stepping up enforcement in the park and surrounding area to include 24 hour coverage. They have assigned special teams of patrols including undercover operations and are conducting sweeps of the park. Crime has increased so much the local BID now pays for a detail of off duty NYPD officers during week and two on Friday's. They also pay for two dedicated Park Enforcement Officers in addition to their own security which patrol the park.

Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) issued 71 summons in April and 35 through May 14th. Summons have been issued mostly for possession/consumption of alcohol (25 for alcohol in May)- and unattended belongings/storage (homeless items). They have also made arrests for drug offenses and for assault.

The city held a meeting inside the Children's Pavilion on the North end of the park on May 10th to address the issue. More than a dozen city officials attended including representatives from the NYPD, the DA's office, Homeless Services, the Parks Department and the Union Square Partnership. The hour and a half meeting concluded with a tour of the park.

Forty minutes before the meeting a 47-year old known methadone user was arrested in the park for punching a person in the face.

One plan discussed by the DA's office at the meeting was to try to make a deal with the area's methadone clinics to get them to adopt a policy whereby if their clients get arrested they will no longer be welcomed at the clinic, said sources who requested anonymity.

Another idea to combat the condition is for officers to write more criminal court summons in order to do warrant checks.

"It's very dangerous out there," Loni Flete said last week with her five-year-old daughter inside Evelyn's Playground. "It's the same people. I know because they wear the same clothes. Whatever clinic is helping the drug addicts, it's causing them to spill into the park. I do hate to see this park go down hill. It's a good park."

She said she's called the police twice in the last month to break up a fight.

"It's a little shady at times. The language they use and sometimes they try to talk to the kids. I would prefer they not," said Jenn Murphy, 29, a teacher at a nearby private school with kids inside Evelyn's Playground. "The knowledge of what's going on and walking with the kids, it's pretty gross. I usually try to avoid that side."

"It's normal, people doing drugs and drinking," said Steven Roux, 23, of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, sitting near "Methadone Alley" with a friend. "Somebody just threw up behind us. We were wondering why all the police. Usually there are cops but not this many.

"The Precinct Conditions team patrol the area 24 hours a day," the NYPD said in a statement. "As a result of the quality of life complaints in and around Union Square Park, the Commanding Officer of the 13th Precinct has assigned an officer to the park daily during the hours of 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The Precinct Conditions team patrol the area 24 hours a day. This security is augmented by a Paid Detail officer from noon to 8:00 pm. An additional Paid Detail officer is assigned on Fridays during the evening hours until the park is closed."

"NYPD and Park Enforcement have made a tremendous difference but we need a lot more resources," said a city source.

"There are ambulances down here a few times a week, sometimes a couple times a day," a law enforcement official said. "Its crazy. Its a city within a city."

A Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officer issues a summons for illegal possession/consumption of alcohol on Sunday along Methadone Alley. In the background a frequent visitor to that section of the park attempts to wake up a passed out drug user. So far in May PEP have issued 42 summons, mostly for possession/consumption of alcohol (27), and unattended belongings/storage (homeless items). PEP issued 71 summons in April.

Incidents Include:

March 15, 2011

A 41-year old male was found unconscious on a bench from a drug overdose. He was transported unconscious but breathing by EMS to Beth Israel Hospital.

March 19, 2011

East Path approx. E. 16th St and Union Square East - A white female approximately 35-45 years old goes by the name of “Charlene” was found unconscious and not breathing on the ground on the East Path. EMS responded to Union Square Park (E. 16th & Union Sq. West) She suffered from a fatal drug overdose. The woman was found on the floor next to a bench that she had fallen off. She was transported to Bellevue Hospital. The woman had a 6-year old daughter who was not at the scene.

March 29, 2011

Union Square East and E 15^th St - White male approx. 30 years old overdosed and conscious was transported by EMS to Beth Israel Medical Center.

Evelyn Playground inside USP. 13 -year-old boy advised unknown person stole his ipad from his unattended nap sack. NYPD arrived and advised the child to have his parents come in to the 13^th PCT to file a report.

March 30, 2011

East Path approx East 15th st. - Black female was found breathing but unconscious transported by EMS to Beth Israel.

April 2, 2011

East Path - 2 summons for possession/consumption of alcohol.

April 4, 2011

East Path - 2 Summons issued for possession/consumption of alcohol.

April 10, 2011

East Path 15^th St. - White male advised he was dizzy and about to pass out. Further advised he drinks alcohol and takes paxil and xanex. When EMS arrived he refused to be transported to the hospital.

April 11, 2011

3 Summons issued for possession/consumption of alcohol.

April 21, 2011

East Path 15^th Street - Black female goes by the name of Linda approx 49 years old complained of spitting up blood for four days. She was transported by EMS to Beth Israel Medical.

April 22, 2011

A 28 year-old male was stabbed 3 times by a knife-wielding 50-year-old man screaming racial slurs inside the Park on the North End of the Park at approx. 16^th St. NYPD was notified and canvassed the area with negative results. The victim survived and the attack is being investigated as a possible hate crime. Victim says he can identify the perpetrator from hanging out in the park.

April 28, 2011

East Path - White male approx. 45 complains of being dizzy, light headed and had an open wound on his lower right leg that was bleeding. He was transported by EMS to Beth Israel Medical Center

West Path- White male complains of having a heart attack and he had no feeling in his right arm. He appeared to be intoxicated. He was transported by EMS to NYU Hospital.

April 29, 2011

NYPD Sweep - Police arrest 11 people for various drug offenses.

East Path - White male (same person from April 28^th 2:30pm) complained of right lower leg pain and was bleeding excessively from wound. He was transported by EMS to Beth Israel Medical Center.

May 5, 2011

Union Square West - White male (same individual from April 28 and April 29) complained of right lower leg pain. He appeared to be disoriented and intoxicated. He was transported by EMS to NYU Hospital.

May 7, 2011

Approximately 5:00pm - Two known methadone users had an argument and a 41 year old male was punched in the face by another male. NYPD arrested the man for disorderly behavior and assault. The victim refused medical attention and refused to press charges.

May 8, 2011

Women's Bathroom - NYPD and PEP received numerous complaints about a male exposing himself in the woman's bathroom. On Sunday between 9:30 -10:00am NYPD caught the man in a stall with his pants down. NYPD issued a Criminal Court Summons for trespassing. The male is an employee of the Union Square Partnership.

May 9, 2011

6 Summons issued for possession/consumption of alcohol

May 10

12:20pm. East Path - Onor Hakan, 47, was arrest by PEP for punching a 44-year-old male in the face. The perpetrator was arrested for Assault 3 and Harassment in the Second Degree. Mr. Hakan has been issued multiple summons by PEP for infractions in the park over the last six weeks.

4 summons were issued to various people for possession/consumption of alcohol. Three were issued in front of the Playground.

May 11, 2011

Arrest for possession of a controlled substance at 11:20am. Felony arrest: A 56-year-old was arrested by PEP for possession of a controlled substance. The perpetrator was processed at the 13th Precinct; the male was later transported from Central Booking to Bellevue Hospital for a psych evaluation. He was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree and criminal possession of marijuana in the fifth degree. Mushrooms, and marijuana (between 2 and 4 ounces).

May 13

A 51- year old Union Square Partnership employee was assaulted a group of teens on Friday night at 9:00pm while cleaning. He was hit in the face with a medal dust pan and was bleeding from his mouth. He was attacked while working in the circle in the South Plaza behind the George Washington statue. A group of three teens, The worker went to Harlem Hospital where he received medical attention.

NYPD have stepped up their presents in Union Square Park after a dramatic rise in crime.

Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) Summons

April - 71

May - 42 (through May 17)

Summons issued mostly for possession/consumption of alcohol, unattended belongings/storage. (homeless items)

27 for alcohol.

Read/View More:

Union Square Park sees spike in drug use, petty crimes

New York Post - May 16, 2011 - By John Doyle

Union Square's Drug and Crime Woes

Fox NY - May 16, 2011- By Diana Rocco

Union Square Is a ‘Lawless City Within a City’

NY Magazine - May 16, 2011 - By Chris Rovzar

Union Square Park Crimes Overblown, Benepe Says

NY 1 - May 17, 2011

200 Trees Disappear, Some "Murdered" In Lower Manhattan

Downtown trees are disappearing -- and often in a shady way.

An estimated 200 trees have vanished -- some mysteriously murdered -- in Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, and other areas under Community Board 2, leaders say, according to the New York Post.

The missing limbs have left leaf-lorn neighborhoods pocked with muddy, litter-strewn craters and ugly stumps.

"Oh, what happened to that tree? It's something that happens when you're not looking," said Liz Walker, owner of Local café on Sullivan Street, where several trees have gone missing.

While the city forges ahead with its ambitious "Million Trees NYC" planting project, it gives less priority to replacing trees destroyed by delivery trucks, contractors, vandals, and people who simply ax them.

"The city is so desperate to reach their quota, they plant where there's a space, and rarely inform the community," said Geoffrey Croft, founder of New York City Park Advocates, which monitors arboreal abuse.

"Sometimes, people do not like trees, and take matters into their own hands."

When three trees disappeared outside Da Gennaro restaurant at 129 Mulberry St. about 18 months ago, some suspected they were whacked -- possibly to clear space for sidewalk dining.

"I'm outraged, but welcome to Little Italy," one resident fumed.

"With the city pushing to plant trees to help improve the quality of air, and just to make it look nice and pretty, the merchants are cutting down trees here."

Aki Gholizadeh, Da Gennaro's owner, insisted the Parks Department chopped down the trees, calling them a "hazard."

But Parks officials said they removed only two dying trees -- and left a healthy one.

"We were never able to establish what happened to that third tree," said Liam Kavanagh, first deputy commissioner. "There is an allegation that somebody removed it illegally, but we weren't able to substantiate it."

The Parks Department plants or replaces trees requested by callers to 311, but it can take up to a year.

Read More:

There's no safe 'arbor', Thefts stump city

New York Post - May 8, 2011 - By Susan Edelman

Related

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A Walk In The Park - February 15, 2011

Landmark Preservation Rejects Central Park Conservancy's Cherry Hill Design

"If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” - Landmark Preservation Commissioner.

"There is no way I could support this," said another.

Cherry Hill Concourse photographed in 1982, following restoration. Photo Courtesy: Landmark West!

Manhattan

On Tuesday, May 3rd, the Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) unanimously disapproved the Central Park Conservancy's proposal to reconstruct Cherry Hill concourse. The proposal would change the elegantly designed circular concourse to one level and install a dark brown resin bound aggregate paving described by one critic as a black donut, and dog poo by another. Critics derided the proposed redesign as resembling a parking lot which they say is being done in part to accommodate the increasing commercial uses of the site.

The commercial uses of the area were also a focus of public testimony as critics questioned the justification of the redesign and use of materials for a more utilitarian purpose. (Vehicles and Parking.) This area is heavily used by film and advertising crews and in April the DPR issued an RFP for a food concession vending cart with a "Victorian-era" look.

The concourse was redesigned in the 1980s. Preservationists have been fighting to keep the much beloved design which includes a circular platform surrounding the fountain, paved in brick and laid out a herringbone pattern, and edged in bluestone in an interlacing star pattern the Conservancy describes as "reminiscent of the Campidoglio Plaza in Rome."

Christopher Nolan, a landscape architect and Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction Central Park Conservancy presented the $ 1.4 million dollar reconstruction plan before the Commission. The project is being funded by the Conservancy and the City.

Public testimony including Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, Landmark West!, New York City Park Advocates as well as individuals who all spoke in favor of keeping the existing design. Mr. Nolan slumped further and further in his chair as every commissioner rejected the plan.

The LPC will issue an Advisory Report to the Public Design Commission, which has final say. The proposal was reportedly set to go before the Design Commission in May, with a ground-breaking originally expected by early July. No word on whether the Conservancy will withdraw the plan in light of the ruling. According to the LPC website, the next meeting is May 16th. The Central Park Conservancy would have already had to have their application in for review for that date. The following hearing is scheduled for June 6th. - Geoffrey Croft

Cherry Hill concourse today (May 2011).

In 1980, with the founding of the Central Park Conservancy, our City's first Scenic Landmark--Central Park, designated in 1974--began a miraculous transformation. Decades of neglect were slowly and carefully reversed and, after 30+ years, Central Park is the entrancing destination many of us know it to be today, according to Landmark West!

And the work continues! The Central Park Conservancy and the Parks Department, the two bodies who administer the Park, regularly undertake park improvement projects. But they are not alone in their vision to sensitively restore and preserve Central Park. Advocates such as LANDMARK WEST! and our colleagues celebrate the Park not only for its English Romantics origins, but for the incredible changes it has experienced over the decades. At times, administrators and preservation advocates don't see eye to eye on "what's best" for the Park today, for its users, and for the Park's future. The proposal to reconstruct the Cherry Hill concourse is a perfect example ... and it happens to be an advocacy "win" as well!

The ornate Cherry Hill fountain - designed by Jacob Wrey Mould - is the centerpiece of the circular concourse at the crest of Cherry Hill which overlooks the Lake. The circle was designed as a scenic turn-around for carriages, and the Victorian fountain as a watering trough for horses. The Concourse was redesigned by noted landscape architect Phillip N. Winslow and complements the nearby Bethesda Fountain.

The LPC at public hearing on Tuesday (May 3rd) unanimously disapproved the Central Park Conservancy's proposal to reconstruct Cherry Hill concourse. LW! stood strong on the issue of preserving Cherry Hill's layered history; we illustrated it's effective design and good condition; we spoke to the proposed design's degradation of the space to a parking lot (read LW!'s statement here). And the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) stood strong as well!

Said one commissioner: "There is no way I could support this." Another concurred, adding: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Cherry Hill concourse, as designed and revitalized by landscape architect Philip N. Winslow in the 1980s, is beautiful, both in terms of aesthetics and performance. It sets the stage, as many remarked at yesterday's hearing, for pedestrians to take in the views of The Lake. Cherry Hill as a "room" was an allusion heard more than once. And in terms of managing the traffic of horse-drawn carriages and pedicabs alongside pedestrians and other park users, it successfully accommodates them all!

Historic Districts Council summed it up this way:

Spring has sprung and what better time to think about Central Park! The Central Park Conservancycame to the LPC Tuesday with a plan to remove the decorative paving at Cherry Hill (installed with LPC approval in 1980) and to replace it all with a dark brown resin aggregate. The CPC argued that the new material would better reflect the area’s historic use as a scenic turnaround and parking spot for horse-drawn carriages. HDC testified in favor of keeping the existing paving as it is an attractive addition to the park that recalls the beginning of its restoration and rebirth in the early 1980’s.

Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, Landmark West!, New York City Park Advocates and individuals also spoke in favor of the existing design. Much to our delighted surprise, commissioners all voted to retain the brick paving and replace just the damaged asphalt area with the new material. As one commissioner put it, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Read More:

UPDATE from the FIELD Elegant 1980s at Cherry Hill, Central Park

Landmark West! - May 6, 2011 - As reported by Cristiana Pena

Central Park's Cherry Hill to Close This Summer for Redesign

DNAinfo - April 19, 2011 - By Jill Colvin

Chelsea Residents Rally To Transform W. 20th Street Lot Into Park

May 1, 2011. Children, parents, Seniors, and representatives from more than a dozen local civic groups pose for a group photo in front of vacant Department of Sanitation on W. 20th Street lot to press the City to build a desperately needed public park. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Hundreds of Chelsea residents came out on a glorious Sunday in support of building a desperately needed new park on W. 20th Street. Chanting "We want a Park, We want a Park, " park and community quality-of-life advocates posed in front of the Department of Sanitation's building at 136 W. 20th St. to press the city to create new green space.

Over the last six months the park campaign has collected more than 1500 signatures and brought the issue to the forefront of Chelsea politics.

Community District 4 – encompassing Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen –ranks last in the borough of Manhattan for residential units within ¼ mile of a park and last in open space as a percent of total district square footage.

A diverse coalition of long-time Chelsea residents, families, and business owners are calling on the city and elected representatives to convert a vacant Department of Sanitation lot into a 10,000 square foot park in a particularly park-starved district for the benefit of neighborhood’s burgeoning population.

"This rally is just the beginning," Matt Weiss, president of Friends of 20th St. Park said addressing the crowd. "Our elected leadership needs to hear the message loud and clear that the residents of Chelsea and Flatiron need this greenspace. That a park is basic infrastructure and a public good for all. "

"It's not enough they know our community ranks last when it comes to proximity to parks and open spaces or that the closest spot of green for 2,000 kids is a locked cemetery or that Chelsea's last new playground was built over 40 years ago, " Mr. Weiss continued.

"No, now is the time they see your faces and hear your voices and understand that their land use decisions directly affect quality of life in our neighborhood and that public open space like this little lot benefit everyone. With your help, we move one step closer to making 20th Street park a reality."

After more than sixty years, the Department of Sanitation is relinquishing a two-story office and parking lot in order to consolidate real estate. Friends of 20th Street Park is a diverse community group intent on preserving vital open space by bringing a pocket park to this location. The group counts over 2,000 residents who have signed petitions and written letters of support, along with endorsements from twenty-one individual block associations, Save Chelsea, the Flatiron Alliance and various park advocacy groups. Friends of 20th Street Park has asked elected officials to take a stand in favor of Chelsea’s elderly, disabled and youngest residents, who lack adequate open and recreation space in Chelsea.

The neighborhood of East Chelsea, from 14th to 26th Streets between 6th & 8th Avenues has changed dramatically over time, transforming from a largely commercial district into a vibrant residential community. This twelve-block, two-avenue zone is home to approximately 20,000 residents, including 2,000 children, but has only one designated green space—a locked cemetery on W. 21st Street. Among the nearest Parks to 136 W. 20th Street are Union Square and Madison Square, both outside of the district in Community Board 5, which itself has the least number of playgrounds in New York City, and is more than ½ mile away from the City-owned lot in question. This is at odds with Mayor Bloomberg’s goals on open space as laid out in PlaNYC, which aims for a park within a ½ mile, ten-minute walk of all New Yorkers.

Elected officials have an opportunity to dramatically increase park land and the quality of life for thousands. Despite an unprecedented increase in residential density in the immediate neighborhood, the Community Board’s support for a small affordable housing project on this lot, while a vital priority, is out of touch with the greatest community need. This lot was identified as the smallest of possible off-site housing mitigation for Hudson Yards, despite being one mile away from that development and despite the district’s failing record on open space. This particular area of Chelsea has grown exponentially, with over nine hundred new units of housing added since the Western Rail Yards Rezoning Plan was announced. The need for a park grows daily, and 136 W. 20th Street represents the last and only parcel of remaining open space controlled by the City of New York in East Chelsea.

Charged by Council Speaker and District 4 Representative Christine Quinn with identifying alternate sites for affordable housing that might create a path for a park, Friends of 20th Street Park uncovered more than a dozen properties that have potential to be renovated or reconstructed to house more New Yorkers in need. These include four neglected, city-owned properties at 22 St. and 7th Ave. that used to house 12 units of permanently affordable housing but have since fallen into extreme disrepair with virtually no residents living there today. With HPD’s and our elected leadership’s vision, this property can be repurposed to accommodate scores of incremental affordable housing units beyond the existing 12, while also paving the way for a new park on W. 20th Street – a true community win-win.

Bringing vital new affordable housing and green space helps address two key goals in Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2.0. Friends of 20th Street Park agree with the Mayor that parks are our most cherished form of public infrastructure. With the last playground built in Chelsea over 40 years ago, we hope that our elected officials embrace the Mayor’s challenge for a greener New York and serve all the constituents of the Chelsea community with a new public park at 136 W. 20th Street.

Read More:

Chelsea Residents Rally for New Green Space

The Epoch Times - May 1, 2011 - By Zack Stieber

1010 Wins - May 1, 2011

20th Street Park Advocates Expand Campaign For Green Space

DNAinfo - May 3, 2011 - By Tara Kyle

Park advocates identify sites for affordable housing

Chelsea Now - March 9, 2011 By Bonnie Rosenstock

20th Street Park Supporters Press Their Case

A Walk In The Park - February 10, 2011

Community Board, Locals Split Over Use Of Chelsea Lot

NY1 News - January 14, 2010 - By Rebecca Spitz

Fight For W. 20th Street Park Heats Up

A Walk In The Park - January 12, 2011

At 136 W. 20th: A park or affordable housing?

Chelsea Now - January 12, 2010 - By Bonnie Rosenstock

East Chelsea Residents Push for Park on 20th St.

DNAinfo - December 6, 2010 - By Tara Kyle

Parks Installs Cameras To Help Fight Crime It Apparently Doesn't Even Know Exists

I'll be watching you. A pole-mounted camera in Fort Tryon Park. (Photo: David Handschuh/ NY Daily News) With crime in parks up a whopping 24% last year according NYPD statistics, the Parks Department has been increasing relying on the use of cameras in parks in an effort to deter crime. However apparently not everyone was aware of the increase in crime. Testifying at a City Council Parks oversight hearing last week, when asked if crime had risen, First Deputy Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Liam Kavanaugh - the agency's number two - replied "no."

City-Wide

Vandals, drug-dealers and muggers beware: Electronic eyes are watching you.

The Parks Department has mounted about 20 cameras across the city in an effort to thwart after-hours crime. The cameras at city parks detect motion and respond with a blinding flash of light and a booming recorded warning, according to the NY Daily News.

"Your picture has been taken for suspicious activity by the NYPD!" the recording bellows.

Corey Blackburn who was walking his two daschunds at Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights about 7 p.m. last Sunday said the cameras and the recording spooked him and his dogs.

"They freaked out," Blackburn, 40, said of the pooches, Eartha and Maximo.

Blackburn, who has lived in the neighborhood about a decade, said his dogs nearly dragged him down a set of stairs that lead to the bottom of the park.

"I felt like my civil rights were violated," he said, noting that there were no signs warning parkgoers they could be photographed. "It was disturbing....I could have broken my neck."

A Daily News reporter visited the park earlier this week and confirmed there were no warning signs. The city affixed warning signs about the pole-mounted cameras - only after a News inquiry. The Parks Department officials said someone had taken down the sign.

A pole-mounted camera in Macombs Dam Park, Bronx.

(Photos: © Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge

Blackburn, who complained to the New York Civil Liberties Union, said he understands safety concerns, but also worried about what he called an invasion of privacy.

"If it goes off when the park is closed, I don't have a problem with that," he said. "But it got me at 7 p.m."

A Parks spokesman said the 7 p.m. setting was left over from the winter when it was dark at that hour. It has since been readjusted to go off later. The park closes at 1 a.m.

NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman said her office was investigating Blackburn's complaint.

"It sounds bizarre and creepy and we're looking into it," Lieberman said.

The Parks Department said the cameras have helped stem after-hours crime in city parks, with the first one going up in Manhattan's Highbridge Park in the spring of 2008. The Fort Tryon camera went up a few months ago.

City officials said the cameras can be moved around to problem locations based on need. They've been at Central Park, Marine Park in Brooklyn, South Beach in Staten Island and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens - among other sites.

Park managers review the tapes regularly and share them with NYPD precincts for review.

"The camera has helped reduce these illicit activities and has improved safety because it serves as an excellent deterrent," Parks Department spokesman Philip Abramson said.

Arrest numbers tied to the cameras weren't immediately available.

Not everyone has a problem with the cameras at Fort Tryon Park.

"It's a public spot," said Farrah Mohsin, 25, who visited the park earlier this week. "What are you doing here that's so private? If it's for safety precautions, it's fine."

With Kerry Wills

Crotona Park Nature Center - Broken Security Camera. Three of the center's vandalized cameras remain unusable because the city refuses to allocate the funds to repair or replace them. Park personnel recently prevented a rape in the park according to employees.

Read More:

Parks Department mounting cameras in parks to thwart after-hours crime, but not all are pleased

New York Daily News - May 1, 2011 - By Michael J. Feeney and Bob Kappstatter