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September 11, 2015- by Steven E. Greer

Recall, our local park enforcement officers (PEP), who are not police officers, were abusing their power, roughing up BPC residents for merely waking their dogs. This was several years ago. Captain Falcon has since been removed from his position.

However, we have heard reports of the PEP still harassing mild mannered senior citizens in the community for alleged dog-walking offenses. For example, the nearby park called The Battery was somehow using our BPC-paid PEP to patrol their park and harassing dog owners.

In the Post today is a report of a woman who claims she was arrested for allowing her Chihuahua run leash free in a nearby East River park, “A retired schoolteacher says she was treated like Public Enemy No. 1 — when two Parks Department officers roughly handcuffed her and hauled her to a police station for simply letting her little pet Chihuahua run free in a park.

Joan Donohue, 77, says she was just trying to cheer up her rescue pup Herbie three days after Christmas in 2013 with a walk through East River Park, when she decided to give him a little time to frolic off the leash.

“It was just me and them in this frozen ball field . . . There was nobody down at the river,” she told The Post.

“These two guys piled in on me. They took my dog, they took my purse, they took my phone and they handcuffed me behind my back,” Donohue said.

When she asked for her handcuffs to be loosened, the officers spitefully tightened them, the suit states.”

Editor’s note: The City Parks Department hires dubious characters to work in the parks. The entire department is a quasi-welfare department that exists to provide jobs for people who otherwise would be unemployed. There are numerous cases of PEP employees stealing from people or committing other crimes.

The PEP are woefully undertrained and should not have arrest powers. The regular NYPD should be patrolling the parks. The existence of the current PEP actually causes the NYPD to patrol the parks less than they otherwise would, creating soft target zones and havens for crime. It is time to eliminate the job of PEP and replace it with real NYPD.

People are urging me to run for a city office, such as City Council in 2017. I am the last person in the world to want to run for an elected office, but it is starting to look like I am the only one qualified and willing to make changes to this city that has become a cesspool of corruption.

What do you think?

“SG’17” ?

BatteryPark.TV reporting leads to ouster of PEP Captain Falcon

PEP rough up and handcuff another man for walking his dog

PEP harass dog owners in nearby Battery Park

Busted: Our missing PEP found

PEP snooze, people robbed on Pier 25

PEP refuse to enforce West Thames grass field rules, leading to destruction of grass

More crime on West Thames Park as PEP refuse to patrol

PEP allow serious crime in parks to skyrocket

PEP now suddenly refusing to remove tour buses

Inept PEP allow park crime to triple in 2012

Exclusive: Local lawyer and dog activist prevails against frivolous PEP harassment

Exclusive: The BPCA gives the PEP a $1.5 Million raise, renews contract, all with no public comment

“Nazi-like” pattern of behavior by the PEPs