COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — With large crowds of people packing into Columbus city pools during this heatwave, police and city leaders are being extra vigilant when it comes to security.
The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department said thousands of people have taken advantage of city pools to stay cool in the heat this week. Columbus police say they’re doing everything in their power to keep those people safe.
“More people, it just means more paying attention,” Columbus Division of Police Deputy Chief Robert Sagle said.
Sagle said the crowds have been large but well-behaved.
“You try to be really diligent and making sure that everybody has a safe environment to be able to go cool off,” he said.
Recreation and Parks hires special duty officers and private security at most of their pools to handle any emergencies.
“Obviously we’re looking to interrupt and disrupt any crimes in progress, especially crimes of violence,” Sagle said. “Things that are really going to put the public in danger.”
Two weeks ago, near the Lincoln Park pool on the south side, there was an incident involving several teenagers shooting guns. Special duty officers were there to respond quickly and no one at the pool or rec center was hurt.
“We feel very comfortable with our plan,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said. “What happened there was an isolated incident. It was scary. It was unacceptable. But I think such swift action to protect our seniors and children.”
Ginther was helping community members beat the heat Wednesday. He said the city is focused on keeping violence away from pools and rec centers.
“What you’ll see in our neighborhoods, everything from Operation Moonlight, which helps to pay for officers to be in places where communities gather — that may be rec center, maybe a pools, fountains, those types of things, you know, in our communities, libraries and other places in our parks,” Ginther said.
Sagle encourages anyone with an issue at the city pools to find an officer, but asks parents to keep an eye on their children, too.
“We want parents to be aware of where their kids are at, what their kids are doing at all times,” he said. “It’s just really helpful to have those active parents in the community because we can’t do all this ourselves. We really need the community and the parents to step up to help us out.”
The city also has security cameras at various city rec centers, pools and parks. Police officers are able to monitor those at the city’s real-time crime center.
Columbus Recreation and Parks sent a statement about safety and crowds at the city pools, which reads:
Our pools have been busy, reaching capacity at times throughout the past several days. The safety of our residents and staff is always our top priority. We have trained lifeguards on duty, clear capacity limits to ensure pools can be safely monitored, private security on-site and rotating support from the Columbus Division of Police.
Hot weather can test patience, so we encourage everyone to respect one another and follow staff instructions—those are in place to keep everyone safe and help ensure a positive experience for all.
We appreciate the community’s cooperation and are proud to offer safe spaces to stay cool this summer.
