Clash Over Staffing Numbers Led to End of PEPs in Battery Park City

A PEP officer patrols the area around the Battery Park City ball fields late last month. The Parks Department had wanted to keep a minimum of 24 officers and supervisors on the job, according to a Parks source. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

A disagreement between the Battery Park Authority and the city’s Parks Department over the staffing numbers of Parks Enforcement Patrol officers, according to a Parks source, led to the end on Jan. 31 of all PEP patrols in the neighborhood.

The Parks Department wanted a minimum of 24 officers and supervisors (a little more than half the number that had been previously assigned), the Parks source said. It is unclear how many PEPs, if any, the authority had been willing to accept. The authority did not respond to questions about the negotiations.

With the non-renewal of the PEP contract, which expired on Jan. 31, Battery Park City is now exclusively under the full-time patrol of AlliedBarton Security Services, whose “safety ambassadors”—on foot and bike—began working in December.

“Although NYC Parks was hopeful that Battery Park City Authority would extend their relationship with the Parks Enforcement Patrol, BPCA has unfortunately decided not to extend the PEP contract,” the Park Department said in a statement. (All officers will be given new assignments, with no job losses, according to Parks.)

The authority has expressed no such regret.

Last October, the authority’s board voted to spend $2.1 million annually on the AlliedBarton services, with only $400,000 remaining for what had been a $2.5 million PEP contract. The Parks Department balked at the massive reduction and negotiations over staffing began.

At a contentious community meeting with authority executives in December, Chairman and CEO Dennis Mehiel said “there are things that we believe PEP should provide and we’re hopeful that we can reach an arrangement with them.”

Apparently referring to the PEPs’ authority to make arrests and issue tickets, Mehiel added, “The question becomes, does PEP continue to provide a portion of the services that only they can provide. And we would like them to do that.”

But in a Jan. 30 note to residents on the authority’s website, Mehiel announced the termination of the PEP contract without mentioning the enforcement powers that would be lacking or the months-long negotiations with the Parks Department.

Mehiel noted advantages of AlliedBarton security over PEPs, such as the ability to keep track of their whereabouts electronically and to quickly notify parks staff of “hazards.” They are also able to patrol the neighborhood outside of the parks, he said, and cited their help in keeping the ball fields open during the blizzard by preventing people from going into unsafe areas.

“We are pleased with what we have seen so far,” Mehiel wrote.

The attack on two teenage boys that occurred in December on the terrace above the Battery Park City ball fields seemed to highlight both the advantages and shortcomings of the private security. With no PEP officers in sight, girls who had been with the victims said they quickly found one of the very visible AlliedBarton officers nearby, who radioed for help. But, one of the girls said she was told, he did not have the authority to intervene and stop the assault.

The incident pointed out what some residents had feared with the hiring of private security who could not make arrests, a point of view that was expressed repeatedly at the December community meeting. Still, Mehiel said in his Jan. 30 note, the decision to hire private security came largely from requests by the public. It was, he wrote, “informed in large part by feedback from and communication with our residents, who expressed their desire to seek a more effective alternative to the service provided by the Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP).”

Local elected officials, already on record opposing the replacement of most PEP officers, decried the non-renewal of the contract.

“It’s disappointing the Authority would make this decision without real community engagement. Especially given that local community members, elected officials, and CB1 have raised questions and concerns,” state Sen. Daniel Squadron said in a statement.  

“I strongly believe,” said Councilwoman Margaret Chin, “that Battery Park City deserves a professional police force that can issue summons, make arrests, and act as a powerful deterrent to criminals.”

The authority countered the criticism with a statement, calling the AlliedBarton safety ambassadors “an enhancement to the NYPD’s existing presence throughout the neighborhood.”

“While the addition of AlliedBarton is the latest improvement to Battery Park City’s security arrangement,” the statement said, “we continue to evaluate additional ways to build upon our existing security footprint that will best serve the needs of our dynamic community.”

Asked last week about the switch in Battery Park City’s security services, Capt. Mark Iocco, commanding officer of the First Precinct, declared himself “neutral.”

“It’s getting very political and there’s a lot involved, but I appreciate the PEP people being out there and I’ll appreciate the AlliedBarton people being out there,” he said.  “All of these uniformed authorities, they assist us. So I’m not going to complain. I’ll be happy with whatever they provide.”