Police patrol Daniels Park after surge in calls

Lori Abben Goodwin doesn't usually get a moment's peace. At least not Monday through Friday.

“We have 12 full-time and can have up to 16,” said Abben Goodwin, who runs a daycare out of her Oakland Road NE home. She has plenty of help, with eight of her ten children still living in the home.

Abben Goodwin also knows the neighborhood around Daniels Park as well as anyone. She has lived in the area, off and on, for decades.

“We just want our park back,” said Abben Goodwin.

Police records state, on Tuesday, Abben Goodwin called Cedar Rapids police over a disturbance at Daniels Park, just across the street from her home. Sergeant Christy Hamblin said the call was a “large disturbance” with several juveniles “beating up” on another juvenile. Hamblin said the incident happened at the splash pad with kids spalshing others and parents “egging them on”.

“The police finally showed up and we just came home,” said Abben Goodwin after the incident. Hamblin said no arrests were made.

Two days later that trip to the park, she said one of her kids now doesn't want to return.

“One of the little girls in my daycare said ‘we can't go there, there's bad people there',” said Abben Goodwin. “It's sad.”

According to Hamblin, Cedar Rapids police have executed 139 calls for service at Daniels Park in 2010, with 106 calls since May 1. Hamblin said the majority of the calls are officers driving by on their own initative to patrol.

Jessica Jaeger watches five children, full-time, at her house on Maplewood Drive NE, on the east side of Daniels Park. She said the late afternoon is when she has the most concern.

“About 3:30 is when the park gets ugly,” said Jaeger. “A lot of bad traffic, loud music, foul language and kids running around with no supervision.” Jaeger said she has encountered pit bulls running free in the park and has had to gather the five children she watches in a hurry.

“That is my liability,” said Jaeger.

Hamblin said there is not more of an police emphasis on park patrol than usual. Even in the summer, where kids are out of school and in the parks, Hamblin added the police department also gets more service calls during the summer months.

“We get to the parks when we can but we can't get to them because of the volume of calls,” said Hamblin.