Farmington police patrol problem parks

FARMINGTON, N.M. — Parks should be a safe place to walk your dog, play and get some fresh air. Farmington police say they intend to keep it that way. After an uptick in calls of service to the Brookside Park area back in August, they started concentrated patrols at the park.

“Brookside Park operation commenced in August. We ran it for the four weekends in August on Saturdays and Sundays from seven in the evening to 11 in the evening,“ said Capt. Baric Crum with the Farmington Police Department.

This operation was a coordinated effort by members of the SWAT team, impact team and the real-time crime center. The operation at Brookside Park resulted in 24 arrests, including four DWIs, nine warrants and seven liquor violations.

This month, police also started patrolling another popular city park.

“We are specifically focused on an area of Berg Park that we know we have a high value of calls that we have to respond to,” Capt. Baric Crum said.

They’ve already made a total of 10 arrests there, including four warrants and three liquor violations. This operation at Berg Park will continue in the coming weeks.

“That’s what we are wanting to do – to give people the opportunity to feel safe and enjoy each of our parks no matter where they are in the city,” Crum added.