The Village of Mineola has hired a security firm to patrol Mineola Memorial Park, Wilson Park and the pool. The firm was supposed to have started this past Saturday.

In order to prevent non-residents from using village facilities and curb behavior that can be considered disruptive to residents and families who want to spend some time enjoying the villages parks, Mayor Jack M. Martins and the board of trustees has employed Security Professionals, Inc. to patrol the parks.

"One of the problems we had was that there really wasn't a mechanism during the day for addressing troublemakers in the park. We do have park staff. We do have summer recreation staff. But it's not really appropriate for them to be approaching people or confronting people in the park," said Mayor Martins.

The village hired Security Professionals, Inc. for the job of patrolling the village. From now until September 15, there will uniformed security personnel at Wilson Park, Memorial Park and the Mineola Pool.

Security personnel will be unarmed and in uniform, which consists of khaki pants and red shirts, which say "Mineola Patrol" on the back. All of the personnel are New York State certified and have had references and fingerprints checked for character as well as criminal offenses, according to Security Professionals, Inc.

The security officers will patrol the facilities day and night as well as open and close the facilities. The personnel will be using the village's electric cars, which were donated by Daimler Chrysler. "They're really trained and they have the background to be able to address certain issues the village staff is not able to," said Mayor Martins.

At Wilson Park, the patrolman will open the bathrooms at the refreshment stand and in the parking lot at 8 a.m. and close the bathrooms at 10:30 p.m. The patrolman will also enforce the village's rules and regulations for the park such as no use of ballfields without a permit. The patrolmen will have a list of the organizations that have permits for the fields and for what time the permits are valid. There is generally no usage of ballfields on Saturday or Sunday nights by any permit holders of the Mineola Athletic Association.

The patrolman will also turn ballfield lights off by 11 p.m. or earlier if there is no active use by a permit holder. On Ballfield #1, all permits end by 9 p.m. and lights will be turned off by that time.

At Memorial Park, there are no organized ballgames permitted. The bathrooms will be opened at 8 a.m. and closed at dusk. Tennis courts will also be open at 8 a.m. and closed and locked just prior to nightfall.

The patrolmen have been instructed to use their discretion with regard to patrolling the parks. For example, if a parent and child are having a game of catch at Memorial Park, they will not be bothered by the patrol.

The patrol is to make sure there is no behavior that could have a negative impact on the enjoyment of the facilities and that the facilities are being used by the residents of Mineola who are the ones paying for them.

"I'm a big believer in the fact that if we have village parks, it's for village residents," Mayor Martins said.

If there is any type of incident or inappropriate behavior, the patrolmen will call the police department.

During the summer, there will be a patrolman stationed at Wilson Park, Memorial Park and the Mineola Pool. After Sept. 15, the non-summer season, the village will still be patrolled. However, the security will consist of roving motor patrol at various points throughout the village, seven days per week. During the roving patrol, the security firm will be using their own vehicles.

In order to keep track of what is being patrolled and when, there will be small data collection units spread throughout the patrol areas. The patrolmen can then punch in when they reach each station. Village officials can then keep track of the patrols.

The estimated cost for the security is close to $90,000. However, Village of Mineola Treasurer Richard Dwyer believes the village will either pay the same as it has been or a little less for security with Security Professionals, Inc.

Prior to hiring Security Professionals, Inc., the village had been employing security personnel that used village vehicles. The village paid for the personnel as well as liability insurance and the cost of the upkeep of the vehicles. In addition, the village needed its employees to open and close the facilities as well as turn on and off the lights. These duties will be performed by the new security personnel.

But perhaps just as important as the money is the belief in keeping the parks safe. The mayor and the village board trustees Lou Santosus, Linda Fairgrieve, Steve Franzini and deputy mayor Larry Werther - hope the new security program will prove to be extremely beneficial to the village by providing more coverage of the facilities.

"I think the benefit to anyone who has been in the parks and has had to deal with certain elements that we've gotten in the park this year is well worth it," Mayor Martins said.