The city has been making a concerted effort to keep Veterans Park free of vagrants and the homeless, who neighboring residents say have been using the park to sleep, drink and even do laundry.
Mayor Jeff Perlman began focusing on the issue after hearing complaints from home association members and women who frequent the park early in the morning with their children.
“Young mothers were finding debris, like beer bottles and cigarette butts among other things, left from the night before,” Perlman said.
Residents of a condo tower across the Intracoastal called him to complain about “lascivious behavior going on there,” Perlman said.
“I’ve heard boaters were being approached by the homeless who want to be paid to watch their boats,” he said. “That creates an intimidation factor.”
District Commander Capt. Craig Hartmann of the Police Department said old-fashioned foot patrols have worked well to move vagrants along. Officers are patrolling the park almost 24 hours day, informing people that the park is closed from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. and that trespassing can lead to arrests, Hartmann said.
“Within the last month, it has been completely different. My guys haven’t come across anyone who’s been sleeping or drinking. It’s been vagrants, more than homeless people, who have a place to go and choose to stay in the park,” he said.
Hartmann said now that vagrants and the homeless know they cannot use Veterans Park, they may start migrating to other parts of the city, and that residents and business owners should contact the police if they see a problem.
The police are hoping to make an example of one vagrant who is due before a judge for repeated offenses of consuming alcohol in the parks.
“There is one gentleman we’ve had problems with at Veterans and Knowles parks. He’s bragged about being arrested 19 or 20 times,” Hartmann said. “We’re trying to get him mapped out of the area as part of his probation.”
Hartmann said that tactic, which means moving the man out of the area, is meant “to send a message that we’re not going to treat the same old problem the same old way.”
Parking enforcement volunteers are also helping to keep Veterans Park safe. Volunteers Richard Becher and Joe DeMasi patrol the park as part of their rounds, overseeing the public parking lots. They think the impending return of seasonal residents and the increased use of the Intracoastal, has spurred the extra security.
“We take it upon ourselves to ride through the park at least five to seven times during our shift,” Becher said. “The worst that can happen is that we will call it in.”
The city is also looking into installing better lighting along the sidewalk under the East Atlantic Avenue Bridge, which connects Veterans Park to the nearby marina, to discourage sleeping, Perlman said.
All of this attention has paid off, according to park visitors and residents.
Caryn Stumpfl, a Delray Beach resident for two years, said she has seen no evidence of the homeless or vagrants during her frequent run and walks by the park. She has, however, seen people sleeping on park benches in Pineapple Walk and some homeless on the beaches and panhandling off Interstate 95.
William and Catherine Muldowney of Boca Raton saw nothing that would deter them from Veterans Park, as they visited on a recent Tuesday morning with their 17-month-old son, Kevin Patrick.”
Iva Branscombe, owner and manager of Busch’s Restaurant, which is just south of Veterans Park, credits the police for the effort to protect her property. None of her patrons have been approached or affected by the homeless or vagrants because Branscombe said her staff provides valet service to patrons’ boats and polices the area surrounding her restaurant themselves.
“When businesses make an investment in the community, they should be protected,” Branscombe said. “I’m happy [the city] is being proactive.”
William Muldowney, owner of Video Security Inc., said there are several options for high-tech, digital surveillance available to the city if officials wanted to monitor illegal activity without foot patrols.
“There are devices as small as cell phones can be used to hold a camera. Hotels and buildings use them for public viewing over the Internet, so people can see the property or check out the weather,” Muldowney said.
The mayor said the city will continue to crack down on vagrants in the park.
“It’s rare to have a park on the Intracoastal. It’s a favorite park for parents of young kids because of the playground equipment. That’s the ‘castle park,’ that’s what they call it.” Perlman said. “We have to make sure it maintains a family friendly atmosphere.”
