An Ocean County Park security officer today delayed emergency care by blocking in a Hatzolah CJ member who responded to a call in one of Lakewood’s County parks, TLS has learned.
The incident happened shortly before 5:00 PM when Hatzolah CJ received a call about an injury in the park.
A member responded to the park, but upon entering with his emergency lights activated, was blocked in by a park security officer.
Despite identifying himself as a Hatzolah member who is responding to an emergency call, the officer still refused to allow him in, sources told TLS.
Only once a a higher up in the department was called, was the member allowed in to take care of the patient.
Although Hatzolah CJ declined to comment on the incident, according to information obtained by TLS, patient care was delayed several minutes due to the officer’s actions.
Widespread Issue
Today’s incident is one of numerous recent incidents involving park security officers in Ocean County, highlighting an apparent larger issue with the department.
For a while now, local residents have been complaining about the issues taking place in Ocean County Parks.
Some residents have taken to the Ask The Mayor column on TLS to complain about abusive behavior of some of the officers.
See HERE, HERE and HERE of some recent incidents.
In recent months alone, TLS has been notified of numerous incidents involving regular citizens, as well as emergency services organizations.
In one incident, emergency service members were searching for a child when an officer reportedly told them to leave the park, as he was closing for the night. Instead of offering his assistance, the park office even indicated he would lock the members and missing child inside the park.
In another incident, emergency volunteers were searching for a child’s missing hearing aid, and again were given issues by park security.
Just last week, a park security officer threatened to tow a light tower that was placed in the park for a permitted event at the park.
In another incident, emergency volunteers were threatened by park security, only to have Sheriff Mastronardy show up in person to defuse the situation.
“People just want to go and enjoy the parks without being bullied by people who feel they are superior,” said one emergency volunteer who was recently yelled at by a park officer while performing his duties. “This has to stop.”
“It is not acceptable,” Mayor Ray Coles write in response to one of the incidents reported by a resident. “I am going to raise this situation with the OC commissioners. At the very least, they need to do some training for their employees.”
They are the worst of the worst ! U would think that the men in charge would be nice to the kids there but I notice everytime I go there I always see them looking for problems
Last Sunday, 8/25 we were in Ocean County Park around 430 and there was a very nice female security official who was so polite and courteous and explained to the kids why not to feed the ducks and politely told people who were using propane grills that they weren’t allowed in county parks. I wish all officers were as kind, patient and polite as her, which enforcing the park rules.
The park rangers are on a power trip. Always have been.
It’s time to close down the park security and hand it over to the Sherrif
is it the fault of hatzalos nefashos
Obviously! What other cause could there possibly be?!
Idk about Rockefeller park, but Shenandoah is patrolled by an absolute CREEP! He is always looking for trouble, giving innocent park-goers the “stink eye”. He quotes some obscure laws just to make issues (obviously he’s compensating for not making it into real law enforcement) and speaking down to everyone in harsh, rude and condescending tones.
I stopped going there because it is such a threatening atmosphere. It’s really a shame because it’s such a nice park, but this creepy guy ruins the entire experience. I don’t think any amount of training or speeches will change this guy. I guess it’s true that democrats really don’t know how to fire employees, regardless of the amount and severity of infractions they have on their record!
The officers in ocean county parks are really the worst.
I recently observed a car parked in an empty lot in a park. The car was parked across a few spots and the park officer came to yell at the person that they have to be in between the white lines of an official spot, notwithstanding the fact that the parking lot was completely empty.
There is also a ridiculous rule that prohibits propane grills in the parks. I became aware of this when I was in middle of a BBQ with my kids and the ranger forced us to stop in middle of grilling. He explained with a straight face that the propane was a ”hazard” and could ”explode like a bomb”. Apparently he is unaware that there are millions of homes all over the country use propane grills with no issue.
They are petty bureaucrats who enjoy making the parks miserable. Get rid of them.
many of the park rangers are overworked and underpaid and have no upward mobility in their line so they feel like they are losers and this leads to frustration and hopelessness/helplessness in their personal lives, also they do not necessarily have it so rosy at home or wherever they go after work, so possibly there is alot of pent up anger which can come out anyplace and anytime at almost anyone for no justified cause at all, but to go ahead and say that the rangers are just plain bad people who out to hurt everyone is probably taking things too far.
Well, if they are not happy with their salary or workload, no one forces them to stay on the job! It is their duty (regardless of their personal issues) to treat the visitors with proper respect. Regarding today’s incident, the security officer’s act is criminal. Just like you cannot block a fire truck that is rushing to extinguish a fire, you cannot block an ambulance who is trying to save someone. This officer should be in jail for endangering a patient.
Are you for real????
Ocean County government, including the county park system, is controlled by Republicans, not Democrats. Normally this would be irrelevant, except for the Inaccurate comment nade by Such a Shame.
Here’s a thought… aren’t there good and bad people in all aspects of society?
Yes. But for this job, only the nice people from society should be hired.
Your idea of “Nice” may not be the same as mine or the next guy or the next. The Guards are there to protect people and the wildlife. Only nice people for the job…please come down to earth
Oh. So preventing emergency services from reaching a patient is considered “protecting people and wildlife”??
not true
What’s not true.
yes, usually, although at times there are departments which become infected with a toxic culture.
I once got into a situation in palisades park. I accidently made a small scrape on a fence while maneuvering my vehicle.
An officer there gave me a ticket, he was very nice and professional. And seemed new (he was very young).
I thanked him afterwards and said “at least the officers here are nice” and to my bewilderment he looked at me and said, “actually, their really not”.
I was so bewildered by that response.
Till months later, I heard on the news that the palisades Parkway police captain had been suspended following investigations and a whole host of egregious abuses of his power and actual alleged criminal activity. I then remembered what the officer I had met that day told me, and realized what he must have meant…
So take that as an example.
I have been biking several times weekly in many of the Ocean County parks, for years, and have never had an issue with the park security officers. They all have been friendly and helpful.
If I recall correctly, interfering with emergency medical services is a misdemeanor offense.
Additionally, if the patient’s injury was aggravated by the delay it is unlikely that the officer would be granted qualified immunity even without a specific case on point. The reason for this is that when an action is so egregious as to shock the conscience, the courts will often waive immunity. This waiver protects qualified immunity by not allowing the doctrine to go too far beyond the pale.
I have always found the security personnel to be very pleasant.
I always tell people to avoid the county parks in Lakewood. The township parks are fine or even Monmouth county parks. One of the issues is, they are stationed in the park, and there are several of them, there really is no need for so many officers, so they constantly look to make issues with all kinds of minor infractions.
On the other hand, everyone should follow the rules.
Old expression…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…
Folks, THIS one’s broken, FIX IT!!
Of course Hishtadlus is important, however, equally important is to daven to Hashem and ask him to help us with the communication issues with Park Security.
Be DIPLOMATIC, and RESPECTFUL and REACH OUT!
Did anyone try bringing them CHOLENT on Thursdays? (Or leftovers on Sundays/Mondays). It works!!!! Offer the rangers GlattBite cholent, or Kepshuto or any place where the cholent isn’t overly oily, because with the oil situation in some of the other local cholents, I’m afraid it would backfire, and would actually end up with the park rangers being worse
I fainted in Pine Park a few Sundays ago. My friends called Hatzolah, they arrived in approx 17 seconds (PD #1!!), followed shortly by the paramedics, followed shortly by the rig, And we had no trouble from any Park Security.
Pine Park Rangers Rock !!
The only way to get anything done is to sue them. This was a life & death situation & he had no business delaying the response from a well known emergency service. The idiot state cops do it too. Even if it wasn’t life & death. Hatzolah was called. Hatzolah should sue. Not only that gaurd but the CEO as well for not firing this guy. Does there have to be a death in this town for anything to get done? Enough is enough!
The Parks Dept is on a tight budget thus many of their security employees are old-nervous and real stupid, now at the end of the summer they’re all nervous and shook-up from the noise and heavy usage of the 10’s of young large families whom use and enjoy the parks.
I would enjoy watching families with cute little kids running around and enjoying themselves as parks are not cemeteries, they are made to enjoy but those park employees are different thus they get very nervous from some crowds and some noise.
I’ve had issues with the ocean county park rangers as well in. For the silliest things it’s comical. We need to fix this issue.
Lol
Wow I’ve have always been treated with respect and dignity when in any of the parks in Ocean County! But I do follow the rules of the park to the letter! Jmo
What gives anyone the right to block an emergency vehicle? What if the patient wasn’t breathing and this delay caused death? Why is this happening. Are they supposed to be informed first? I don’t get it and please don’t say they are under paid so are EMS especially volunteers
Everyone should get the threatening employee’s name and report them.
On the flip side if some of them are extra nice they can also be appreciated and mentioned by name as one they can be proud of.