Sun, sand and summonses on Coney Island from Parks Enforcement Patrol

Leaving monotony of the typical 9-to-5 job for a life of surf and sand is every New Yorker’s dream.

But for the officers of New York City’s Parks Enforcement Patrol in Coney Island, going to work is anything but a typical day at the beach.

Started in 1981 by commissioner Gordon Davis, the enforcement patrol is responsible for enforcing rules and regulations at the city’s 28,000 acres of parkland and more than 14 miles of beach.

At Coney Island, enforcement officers deal with everything from missing children to public drunkenness on a daily basis as they patrol one of the city’s most crowded beaches.

Brooklyn’s seaside getaway pulls in roughly 5 million visitors annually.

Nowhere is the patrol’s presence felt more strongly than on the bustling Boardwalk. On foot, bike, scooter, horseback and ATV, the officers look for lawbreakers.

Walkers of unleashed dogs, cyclists who don’t observe the 5 to 10 a.m. legal hours and drinkers of alcoholic beverages at all times get lots of summonses.

Made up of both full-time and seasonal officers, the patrol issues more than 23,000 citations citywide on a yearly basis and makes nearly 100 arrests – despite being unarmed.

So remember, next time you’re under the Boardwalk having some fun, make sure it’s legal, or you might run afoul of the Parks Enforcement Patrol.

BY JEFF WILKINS

Daily News

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