Flanked by several Western Division police officers, Capt. Sarah Creighton fielded questions and huddled with residents who say they are plagued by noisy after-hours park visitors to Sunset Cliffs Natural Park on weekends.
The group met at the Cabrillo Recreation Center during a Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Recreation Council meeting Tuesday to discuss possible solutions to the noise and criminal activity problems occurring on Ladera Street adjacent the park.
Already fighting an uphill battle alongside a short-staffed Western Division, the council considered putting up more signage and a locked gate at the Ladera Street entrance during the hours that the park is closed ” between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
“We’re ready for it [a gate],” said Michael Ruiz of the city’s Park and Recreation Department.
He said the installation of a gate would accompany an expansion of the entrance to fit two vehicles, rather than one, to accommodate fire and rescue vehicles.
The council formally passed a motion recommending enforcement of park hours beginning at 10 p.m. ” an hour earlier than is currently the case, Ruiz said.
The gate would cost $500 to $1,000 and would be paid for by the Shoreline Parks division of the City’s Park and Recreation Department, Ruiz said. Shoreline Parks oversees maintenance of bay and shoreline parks from Sunset Cliffs north to Torrey Pines City Park, he said.
Installing a gate, however, would be the first step toward preventing teens and young adults from using the park as a hangout.
A pattern of disruptive behavior has emerged from the area, and residents say unruly and even criminal behavior has gotten worse over the decades.
Officer James Heppell said that from Jan. 1 to Aug. 4 police have made about 100 trips into the park in response to radio calls or “self-initiated” action to make an arrest between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. During that time, police documented 71 arrests along the 4400 block of Ladera Street, most of which were for curfew violations, Heppell said.
He also reported an incident involving assault with a deadly weapon, which resulted in an arrest. Also documented was a robbery “between groups of people.”
“It sounds like there’s a fair amount of activity going on there just from the report,” Heppell said.
Jean Nathan, a member of the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Recreation Council’s Safety Committee, said, “But certainly it would be interesting to see what the overall offenses are for the entire park area, not just that one little area.”
Nathan and about 25 residents and councillmembers bombarded Creighton, Heppell, Lt. Ernie Herbert and beach patrol officer Charles Lara with complaints and questions about the lack of police presence during those after-hours times.
However, with Western Division short about 45 officers, according to Heppell, keeping the park in check could prove difficult when other areas of the Peninsula, like Ocean Beach, also need policing.
“We’re doing the best we can in the moments that we have,” Lara said. “I’m not trying to minimize Ladera Park’s need, because there is significant need. We just have other areas of responsibility [too].”
Western Division covers 27 square miles, including North Park, Linda Vista, Midway district and all of Point Loma. At any given time, about five to seven officers patrol the areas and respond to calls “based on priority,” Creighton said.
The beach needs more officers because of disturbances caused by people leaving bars along with other crime.
She said the different areas of Western Division are competing for resources and that the most important thing residents can do is call police when they see a serious crime in the Sunset Cliffs Park area.
The police department gives priority to areas that have the most calls for service, she said. If no one calls for police service, the department doesn’t consider it a problem.
It’s important that residents call and be specific about what they report as well. She also said residents should ask for an incident number to make sure their report is documented.
Because residents are being forced to deal with a lack of officers, they may have to rely on alternative crime deterrents, including the possibly of adding lights, cameras, more signs and the entrance gate.
While deterrents may work, Creighton said residents’ strongest weapon remains their telephone and clear, accurate information.
To report a nonemergency, residents are encouraged to call the city’s nonemergency number, (619) 531-2000.
Residents living in the 858 area code are asked to call (858) 484-3154, according to the city’s website.