Article posted today at www.enterprisenews.com

BE CAREFUL!!!!

D.W. Park a magnet for gay sex

By Mike Underwood, Enterprise staff writer

BROCKTON — Cops are staging a summer offensive in a new bid to rid D.W. Field Park of men who travel there for gay sex.

Undercover and uniformed officers will blitz the park after getting complaints about men traveling from throughout the state to meet for sex in the park's wooded areas.

“Word is out on the Internet that this is a great spot for men to meet. I want the park to have a family atmosphere, so we are going to have a police presence up there through the summer,” said Brockton Police Chief William K. Conlon.

Conlon said the operation will begin “in the very near future” and last until the fall. He said he hopes it will send a strong message that the park is being watched.

The move comes after fed-up residents living near the Oak Street area of the park complained to Ward 7 Councilor Chris MacMillan about finding sex toys, condoms and drug-related items at the park.

“This is a long time coming,” said MacMillan. “It has been bad up there for too long. I have been trying to work with the police to have permanent patrols up there, but if they are going to only be there for the summer, I suppose it's better than nothing.”

MacMillan spent one recent afternoon on patrol with police officers at the park and was shocked to see visitors from throughout the state flocking to the park. They were handed citations for trespassing.

“A tougher police presence is definitely needed. There were people there from Fall River, Revere and Sharon,” he said.

“I do not have a problem with people's sexuality, but there are kids up there, mothers with strollers and families feeding the ducks. They don't feel safe anymore, that is what really gets me going,” he said.

One resident, a mother of two, said she no longer walks in the park with her children after discovering sex toys and used condoms on a pathway.

“This has always been a nice quiet area, and I don't like to see what I see when I walk through,” she said. “It is no longer a place you can take your family. We just don't go up there anymore.”

The police chief is also planning to hire a private security firm to patrol D.W. Field Park this summer.

He expects to sign a contract with the firm that now provides security for the housing authority for a two-person, seven-day bike patrol at the park.

Conlon said the cost will be between $12,000 and $15,000, a fraction of the price to put Brockton officers there on overtime.

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