More patrols at two parks lead to better park safety, Farmington police say
A total of 38 arrests have been made between both operations
- Capt. Baric Crum told The Daily Times dispatch received 350 calls between May 1 and July 31 for Brookside Park.
- Farmington Police had a strategic operation to increase foot and patrols in Brookside Park between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays for the month of August.
- Officers are in the middle of a similar strategic operation at Berg Park this month.
FARMINGTON — The Farmington Police Department is seeing results from an increased focus on patrols in Brookside Park after seeing high call volume in the area
Department officials hope an operation underway at Berg Park, which led to 24 arrests at Brookside Park, will yield similar results.
Capt. Baric Crum told The Daily Times that dispatchers received 350 calls between May 1 and July 31 for calls in Brookside Park. Those 350 calls include 176 calls for close patrol, where an officer will patrol an area.
Those remaining calls include fights, graffiti, suspicious persons, disturbances and 911 calls, which all require more of an investigative response, Crum said.
While reviewing the data, the agency learned Saturday and Sundays were the busiest days for response between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m.
That led to a strategic operation to increase foot and patrols between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays for the month of August.
Those involved in the patrols including the Impact Team, members of the SWAT team and the Real Time Crime Center.
Crum said Brookside is the busiest park in Farmington, a park frequented by teens and families.
He also stated Brookside has a lot of amenities including the skate park, Bisti Bay at Brookside Park water park and basketball/volleyball courts.
Crum acknowledged Brookside Park has its moments where a violent crime puts the park on everyone’s radar.
“I know that Brookside has had its moments in time where it has caused the red flag to go up because there's been a shooting or some other event where we amp up our presence,” Crum said.
Two teenage boys were each shot once on the night of Oct. 26, 2018, when D’Jali Smith shot them.
Smith was sentenced in October 2020 to three years in a state prison after pleading no contest to two felony counts of aggravated battery, according to court documents.
Operation yielded results, police say
The Brookside Park operation led to 24 arrests, including nine on active warrants along with seven liquor violations and four DWIS, an Oct. 13 news release said.
Farmington Police spokesperson Nicole Brown told The Daily Times the arrests made on warrants were from misdemeanor-level offenses.
The agency found this strategic operation led to increased park safety for families and individuals.
Officers are in the middle of a similar strategic operation at Berg Park this month. That operation has led to 10 arrests so far, including four warrants and three liquor violations.
Crum cited how 14 of the arrests between the two operations involve alcohol, highlighting that alcohol consumption is prohibited in both parks.
Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.
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