Page police open substaton at city park

Police expect to reduce crime by patrolling the park regularly.

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PAGE – The foot and vehicle traffic on South Navajo Drive and on South Lake Powell Boulevard, roadways near the high school, is regular during the school year.


The high school students during their lunch walk across South Navajo to grab a bite to eat in town, to socialize with friends in the John C. Memorial Park, or to settle at the skate park.

One may also find some inebriated or dehydrated people in certain areas of the park, the epicenter of incidents here, according to Page Police Detective Terry TerEick.
Now, there is a Page Police Department substation in the park and there are several surveillance cameras installed on the building, which have quickly become against crime in the area, said TerEick.


“Since … the cameras (were installed), we already caught a couple of incidents on video,” TerEick said in an interview on Thursday. “Eventually, we’ll have a video wall … so that the officers that are present will be able to look up on the (wall) and see a live feed of what’s going on in the area.”


The substation is situated inside the old Teen Center, which was closed in recent years because the restrooms were not accessible for the disabled. The center over the summer received minor improvements and upgrades through a fund of $10,000 that the city council approved.


The substation is equipped with at least two desks, computers, office supplies, and a semi-circular area where police briefings, presentations, and the department’s Explorer program meetings will take place. But the intention of the substation, TerEick says, is to provide a greater police presence in the park.


The Page Police Department has a headcount of around 23 police officers and when one of the officers needs to use an office facility, they have to travel back to the main department on Coppermine Road.


“Having a police substation would allow them to choose to go (to the substation) instead,” TerEick said in a July interview. “And just having a police presence and people seeing police cars parked there, and the police being there. They (officers) can see out the windows if there’s something happening in the park.”


“Plus, we’re so close to the schools, (and) if something happens at (one of the) school, we’ve got guys close by,” said Mark Cormier, the city councilman whose idea of a substation in the park came to fruition. “It just makes a lot of sense.”


Page Police Chief Frank Balkcom Sr. added that the substation is not only a police facility, but also a community facility.


“The park will be nice, inviting, and safe for the community,” Cormier added, “so police presence here is just perfect.”


At least two bicycle patrol officers will be stationed here, said TerEick. Those two officers are currently in training this week.


“A majority of … incidents happen in … this couple-block radius,” TerEick said. “So, it’s a faster response time ideally. Hopefully we can reduce some of the crime, just in general.”  


All in all, this substation was a great team effort, said Police Lt. Larry Jones.


“So much work was put into this,” Jones said. “Everyone played a part to get this up and running. We really appreciate it. We’re going to put this to use … (and) we’re going to get our bike patrol unit up and running, (which) is going to be housed out of this substation as well. We’re excited about the possibilities.”


Mayor Bill Diak says the city council is 100 percent in support of the new substation.


“I’m going to give credit to Mark Cormier,” he said. “A few months ago, (Cormier) presented it to the council. He thought it was a good project to give more visibility to the area and to help our youth by giving them a place to (hold) the Explorer program.”


The Page Police Department receives numerous calls to the park every day. Those calls are usually for a number of things, including a person down, which is what the police officers here refer to as someone in the park who is potentially passed out or dehydrated, according to TerEick.


“Or a fight in the park or drug activity,” he explained. “We receive calls there daily and we’re hoping that having a police presence will provide a safer park for residents (of Page).”