Columbus introducing new patrol to combat park crime

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Concerns over safety at Columbus Parks has had some parents on high alert, and city leaders are taking action.

Scenes of terror in city parks, like the shooting at Lakebottom in Midtown Columbus or at Shirley B. Winston in east Columbus, have been at the front of city leaders’ minds for a while.

City council members like District 4′s Toyia Tucker say the number one goal is to focus on having a safe park. With that in mind, help is coming from an unusual source. Muscogee County prison employees will join the fight to help keep all 30 plus Columbus parks safe.

With Columbus police already helping with patrols, the newly formed park patrol made of correctional officers could not come at a better time.

Muscogee County Warden Herbert Walker says he and his team are rolling out three patrol vehicles. Behind the wheel, he and other prison staffers are ready and willing to lock you up if you break the city park’s laws.

Herbert adds that if the patrol needs additional assistance with anything, they’ll call the police department. An added perk to the park patrol is that it will not take any money out of the city’s budget due to it already being allocated in the city budget.

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