Neighborhood Park Watch

Parks Tacoma partners with the Safe Streets Campaign, a program that brings neighbors together to take back their neighborhoods, streets, and parks.

By forming a neighborhood park watch, we help you plant the seed of grassroots, community leadership. That leadership helps hold communities together, and links them with can-do people in agencies and organizations to make neighborhoods and parks safe.

As your neighborhood park’s eyes and ears, you can help promote safe, enjoyable neighborhoods and parks, by enhancing park security through reporting suspicious, or unusual activities and conditions to park staff.

Keeping your parks clean and safe is our priority – but we need your help.

Parks Tacoma, in partnership with Safe Streets, Tacoma Public Schools, and the Tacoma Police Department, is asking you to Park Volunteers as a Neighborhood Park Patrol member.

• How to join an existing neighborhood park watch group 
  Check out the list of volunteer groups, then contact us at [email protected].
• How to start a new neighborhood park watch group
  Can’t find a group at your favorite park? Contact us at [email protected] and learn how you might work in partnership with Parks Tacoma to start one. We’ll give you the tools you need to be successful including training through the Safe Streets Patrol Academy, deflector vests, flashlights, magnetic car signs, and on-site signage.

Point Defiance Park Watch

Point Defiance Park has an active Park Watch program in place to help maintain visitor safety, protect the park’s resources.

Park volunteers, outfitted with yellow safety vests and lanyards, patrol the park and provide extended eyes and ears on activities they are seeing in an effort to discourage car break-ins, vandalism, and other park rule violations such as smoking, drinking, feeding of wildlife and unleashed dogs. In addition, they check for fallen trees and other naturally occurring potential hazards.

Contact: Desiree Kennedy
Community and Special Projects Coordinator for Regional Parks
(253) 209-5806
[email protected]

Marine Mammal Health Watch

Marine Mammal Health Watch is a new opportunity for Park Watch volunteers to help protect and monitor the federally-protected harbor seal populations and their pups on Owen Beach and along the Ruston waterfront. From June to October, volunteers are needed to monitor the animals, establish mandatory safe distance perimeters in high-traffic areas and educate the public on wildlife conservation. This opportunity is for individuals age 18 and up and will require coordination with Park Guides, Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources.

Contact: Desiree Kennedy
Community and Special Projects Coordinator for Regional Parks
(253) 209-5806
[email protected]