POLICE: Keep park safe, please

I wish to thank the Coeur d’Alene Police Department for their recent announcement in the paper of their intent to increase patrol/enforcement in City Park.

City Park is a warm fuzzy to us and we thoroughly enjoy the park and the various events staged there. Our 5-year-old grandson will be visiting us next week from the East, staying through the middle of July. We are very much looking forward to taking him to the Fourth of July parade, and ending the day on the beach watching fireworks.

We were, however, very concerned about taking him to City Park because over the past three years, there have been more and more undesirables invading City Park on the Fourth of July. These out of towners descend on City Park in groups, prowling, acting a fool and forcing folks off the sidewalks, among other activities. The past two years I have observed open drug deals transpire on the basketball courts just yards from the Coeur d’Alene police park building.

Last year as we left the beach after the fireworks, we walked too close to the basketball courts and were very close to being in the middle of a group of hoodlums arguing to the point of throwing blows over a drug deal gone bad. No one in handcuffs. Last year sloppy drunks were ignored and their obnoxious behavior was just “observed” by uniformed officers. We were also very surprised that the police announced in the paper last year they would not be citing firework violators. This resulted in basically a firework free for all at Independence Point on Fourth of July night.

Because of the degeneration we experienced, we seriously considered taking our grandson elsewhere more family oriented for the Fourth. It is sad we even have to think that way.

So, it was nice to see the Coeur d’Alene PD announcing some enforcement this year.

RON BOUDREAUX

Coeur d’Alene