Weeding Out Crime At Park Underhill Cleanup Designed To Drive Out Danger

Attention criminals: East Central residents will be watching you.

Soon, thanks to a new crime-fighting partnership, neighbors will have a better view of illegal activities in Underhill Park.

“We’re just not going to tolerate the community being overridden by crime,” said Ange Taylor, Spokane Parks Department director. “We want to send a message to criminals.

Stay away. We’re watching you.”

That message was sent Tuesday as representatives of the partnership, “Take Back Our Parks,” outlined plans to clean up Underhill Park now and eventually tackle problems in Grant and Liberty parks.

The Washington state Department of Corrections and Washington Water Power have joined in the effort with the city parks and police departments and residents of the East Central neighborhood.

“We’re trying to make this park show that we care so that the users will come back and feel safe,” Taylor said. “We have to get a handle on it.”

Efforts sound basic - cut back trees and bushes, add street lights and remove picnic tables that lure drug pushers. But police said simple landscaping changes, patterned after a national Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design model, will leave crooks without a place to hide.

“This is one more tool to battle what’s happening in the park,” Assistant Police Chief Roger Bragdon said. “When you open up the area to surveillance … it makes criminals feel very uncomfortable.”

A new police bicycle team also will begin patrolling the area.

The push to clean up parks was spurred by neighborhood petitions dating back two years that asked the city to help make East Central Spokane safer.

“There’s a lot of unlawful activity out there,” City Manager Bill Pupo said. “We’re not saying it’s an epidemic.

“But we’d rather have kids safe in the park and off the streets.”

The same plans are being mapped out for other parks, pools and gathering spots, police said, because crime usually doesn’t disappear. It just moves.

“They’re going to move,” Taylor said. “With this we just want to make sure they never unpack their suitcases.”

For East Central residents, the efforts mean they can once again enjoy an evening stroll through their neighborhood.

“People need to feel safe when they walk in the park. They won’t even go for a walk now,” said East Central resident Carolyn Jacobs. “This is a prudent approach, logical and affordable. Take it a step at a time.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Map of area