Crime & Safety

Police Continue Presence at Wissahickon This Weekend

Ninety-two warnings issued the first weekend of patrol.

, Philadelphia Police from the 5th District will heavily patrol Wissahickon Valley Park.

Targeting Devil’s Pool and Valley Green Inn last weekend, police issued 92 warnings, the Friends of the Wissahickon said. 

In a news release, Sgt. Mike Vassallo said police will enforce all park rules by issuing citations for violators. Park Rangers from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation will also patrol the area to inform and educate park users on park rules and regulations, the FOW said.

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"Both groups have initiated this effort to combat a variety of problems that afflict the area each summer, including illegal parking, swimming, diving, and littering, and violations of open container laws and the City-wide leash law which requires all dogs in the park to be on a six-foot leash," the news release said.

Commenters on Patch's Facebook page and article published last weekend welcomed the enforcement. Trash and public safety seemed to be the biggest areas of support.

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"As a runner, it is nice to see police monitoring this area!" Michele Ruginis wrote on the Roxborough-Manayunk Patch Facebook page.

On the article, Jozeppy said:

"My family and myself were back Valley Green yesterday around 4 p.m., and the amount of people going back there to swim was ridiculous, I mean there were whole families."

However, not all people back the enforcement. In an interview, Kayla Fell said she regularly walks Forbidden Drive with her husband, dog and/or baby. Although she can empathize with trash issues, she says increased ticketing on parking is overzealous.

"There is completely inadequate parking. That lot gets so full, and people are always orderly and respectful. Maybe we create a solution that they don't want us to, but there's not a lot of options," she said.

Being a wooded recreation area, the area around Valley Green lacks substantial parking despite the heavy usage.

In general, Fell said it just doesn't seem like the police presence is great use of resources.

"Literally every car outside the lots was ticketed... We parked further up, but there's all those break-ins in broad daylight, people want to park where there's foot traffic. I was a little nervous about that," she said.

Another commenter agreed with Fell's point about unnecessary enforcement.

"Yeah they should clean their trash....legitimate issue there to be sure, but that is a city-wide problem. Kids SWIMMING? That is not," Roxborough Area Man said.

The Friends of the Wissahickon said the enforcement will continue throughout the summer.


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