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November 27, 2015- The City Parks Department has a long history of hiring criminals who go on to commit crimes while acting as parks officers. In the latest, a park employee attacker her own colleagues who were making an arrest by Pier 15 in the Seaport.
A park blog reports, “Parks Department maintenance workers attempted to prevent Parks Enforcement Patrol officers from arresting a violent career criminal NYC Park Advocates has learned. The bizarre incident occurred yesterday at 1:45 pm. at Pier 15 at the South Street Seaport.
On November 11th, Royan Mitchell, 36, was observed by attempting to sell tickets to the Hornblower Cruises, when park police approached him he fled. Yesterday, officers observed him again illegally soliciting at the same location. While attempting to make an arrest, he resisted, at which time approximately six parks department M & O maintenance workers from Pier 15 surrounded the officers and tried to prevent them from arresting the vendor.
Officers said one park worker in particular, Sandra Knight, 53, became aggressive. They say she pushed the officers several times, yelling and screaming.
“She came out of nowhere fighting us,” an officer said. Officers say Knight was repeatedly told to back away from the vendor who officers eventually managed to put in handcuffs. Video shows her rushing towards the officers getting within inches, saying, “You got me, you got me.”. Knight elbowed officer Ingrid Sanchez in the face, breaking her glasses when officers attempted to move her away from Mitchell who was still on the floor. Officers told her she would be placed under arrest.”
In our own neighborhood, PEP officers have been reprimanded or relocated for violent misconduct. In 2011, resident Adam Pratt was assaulted and arrested for walking his dog. he filed a lawsuit, which was settled for $25,000.
This year, PEP have harassed and threatened BatteryPark.TV while reporting. They even harassed us as we were trying to vote in the PEP office on election day.
The BPCA has moved to replace most of the PEP with private security forces.