Volcom Skate Park Safety

TROUBLE AT THE SKATE PARK

Last night the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission met for a regularly-scheduled meeting at City Hall and, although several items were on the agenda, this entry is going to focus on only one - the recent public safety issues at the Volcom Skatepark of Costa Mesa.

DISTRESSING REPORT

Costa Mesa Police Department Lieutenant Mark Manley provided an informative, and unsettling, report to the commission about recent events at the skatepark.  The crux of the problem seems to be that adult skaters ignore the safety rules that require a helmet plus elbow and kneepads and are skating haphazardly, causing safety problems for younger skaters with whom they share the facility.

AUDIO TAPES SHOW PROBLEM

Chairman Byron de Arakal pressed Manley for details of the the events, which apparently included the physical assaults on Park Rangers and on officers called to back them up during enforcement operations.  Manley provided perspective via an audio tape of one encounter in which a late-30's skater - hiding behind a tree - explained to Manley (in civilian clothes) why he was hiding and the "code" that was used by skaters so they could scatter when police arrived.  Officer Allen Rieckhof, who patrols that area of the city during the day, played another tape of a very recent profanity-laced encounter with a skater who had been cited and warned previously who ended up being arrested.

SOME STATISTICS
During his presentation Manley provided some statistics for police/park ranger activites at the skate park.

Action                             2011               2012             2013 (thru 6/25)
Citations issues                19                   31                     69
Ave. Age                         22.66              22.16               19.26
Costa Mesa Residents?   36%                40%                 29%
Non-CM Residents?        63%                 60%                71%
Arrests Made                   0                       2                     3 (4 counting Rieckhof's arrest)

Offences ranged from failure to use proper equipment to taking a swing at officers.

DISRESPECT AND DOG POOP

As an example of the prevailing attitude in the park now, Manley reported that, following a routine patrol of the park recently, one of the rangers found dog poop placed in the door handle of the police cruiser.

SCATTERING LIKE QUAIL
According to reports, it is not unusual to see 20 or more skaters run from the park - out the exit or over the 6 foot high fence - and scatter into the Mesa del Mar neighborhood when officers approach.

CULTURAL CONFRONTATIONS
Manley told the commissioners that it's his goal to have the rangers and police staff be ambassadors to help with the lawful administration of the park, but that there is a cultural issue in play and, with the advent of cell phone video, there seems to be an intent to provoke confrontation to post on social media sites.

WHY DECLINING CALLS FOR SERVICE?

Chairman de Arakal read from a report he had that described a significant decline in calls for service and citations issued since 2008 and asked Manley about it.  His reply was that, with reduced resources today other calls take priority.  He told de Arakal that he has 4 park rangers and 2 are dedicated to enforcement actions at Lions Park.  The remaining two are left to cover the other 29 parks in the city, including the Volcom Skate Park.  Rangers apparently make two passes at the skate park each day on average.

THE CHAIRMAN IS TICKED-OFF!

de Arakal had a real head of steam up on this issue.  He's received many calls from residents about the safety aspects of the park recently.  Older, much more aggressive, skaters make it very difficult for young skaters to navigate around the various elements of the park safely.  Apparently there are many repeat offenders observed by rangers and officers.  He told us he had visited the skate park a couple times recently and described it as "Probably what the Old West looked like a hundred years ago.  It's just a free-for-all."  He went on to say, "The bottom line for me is the law. It's pretty clear that if Costa Mesa is going to run a skate park, under the Health and Safety Code, we have to require that everybody wear a helmet and elbow and knee pads."

"WE'RE GONNA FIX THIS!"
He said that he's made a commitment that "we're going to fix this", and that it is probably going to take consultation with senior city officials (he referred to the 5th floor) and the police department to create a strategy to resolve the issue.  He mentioned full time staffing, a fee to use the park as some options.  He hoped to find some immediate relief for the police department and bring solutions back to the broader issue to the commission in July or August for consideration and presentation to the City Council shortly thereafter.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE PROBLEM

To give you an idea of what this is all about, HERE is a YouTube video clip of one confrontation at the Volcom Skate Park that presents a disturbing, but actual, encounter that the park rangers had to deal with.  WARNING:  Bad language is used in this tape.

WATCH THE MEETING FOR YOURSELVES
I hope you'll watch the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, either on streaming video when it is finally available, or on the taped recording, to get the real flavor of what our officers face every day on this issue.  It's a problem that needs to be solved, fast.  NOTE:  The streaming video clip of the meeting is now available HERE.