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A recent report by the advocacy group New Yorkers for Parks, calls Flushing Meadows-Corona Park the most dangerous in the city after Central Park.
“For the first time, New Yorkers now know how the largest parks fare in terms of safety,” said Christian DiPalermo, Executive Director of the group.
The report, issued on Wednesday, March 26, contains crime statistics obtained from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) over 18 months in the 21 largest city parks.
The figures were collected from April 2006 to September 2007 and cover seven serious felonies: murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft.
During the study period, there were a total of 308 of those crimes.
Central Park tops the list with 162 of the felonies, but was held separate from other parks, because it has its own NYPD precinct.
Of the 20 largest parks that vie with their neighborhoods for police protection, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park topped the list with 99 felonies, far ahead of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, with 57.
According to Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski, the report paints a misleading picture.
“The period includes two summers, when all parks are more heavily used,” Lewandowski said. “The thing to remember is that Flushing Meadows-Corona Park includes Shea Stadium and the U.S. Tennis Center and about half the reported crimes happened within those areas,” she pointed out.
“From six to seven million people visit the park each year and enjoy everything it has to offer, without the slightest trouble,” she said.
An analysis of the figures also shows Queens’ largest park in a less dismal light.
Nearly half the crimes (45) involved theft of property worth more than $1,000 and another eight were car thefts. Less than four in 10 of the crimes were classified as violent.
In addition, the one murder, about half the assaults and several of the robberies were connected to three youths who were arrested during the study.
Lewandowski pointed out that given the size of the park, which stretches nearly half way across the borough, it’s impossible to police every inch of it. She also observed that people in the park during hours of darkness have an increased risk - especially if alcohol is involved.
She isn’t dismissing the need to make parks safer. “We are working closely with the 109th Precinct, which focuses on serious crimes and have increased the number of Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers, who focus on quality-of-life issues, to prevent crime,” she said.
City Parks Commissioner Andrew Benepe noted that they had nearly doubled the number of PEP officers, adding 81 full-time officers since the study began.
Officials don’t want the public be unreasonably afraid. Estelle Cooper, the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Administrator said, “We also know that a well-used park with lots of activity is a safe park. From dog walkers to sports leagues… park users play an integral role in keeping our public spaces safe.”
Lewandowski said that in the first quarter of 2008, there had only been four crimes reported. “Two boats were burglarized in the World’s Fair Marina, [also part of the park] a window was broken on a building on the golf course and someone using the pool reported that property was taken from his locker.”
City Councilmember Peter Vallone, Jr., who chairs the Public Safety Committee, sponsored the legislation that requires the NYPD to report crimes in all city parks by 2010, along with Councilmember Joseph Addabbo.
Vallone confirmed that 10 more parks were being added to the list citywide. Kissena Park in Flushing and the Rockaway Community Park at Edgemere will be included in the next report.
“Now that we will have statistics on more parks, people will have more tools to stay safe,” Vallone said.
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