Pleasanton Resident Fired Up Over "Pot Park"

A Pleasanton resident recently wrote to Patch reporting illegal drug activity at Creekside Park.

The concerned resident reports seeing drug dealers nearly every afternoon at the park located at 5665 W. Las Positas. The area also has been dubbed "Pot Park" around town, according to the resident.

Further details from the reader's e-mail:

I moved to Pleasanton from the east coast 3 years ago. I was wondering why there are drug dealers at Creekside Park almost every afternoon right after school. It is very obvious. I have called the Pleasanton Police a few times but it is still going on. I mentioned it to another mom and her comment was that it is known as Pot Park. If everyone knows it why can't something be done to try to protect our kids. Multiple kids walk home from school every day through the park.

The neighborhood park has two favorable reviews on Yelp and boasts the following description on the Great Kids Parks website:

Creekside Park is a nice, well-maintained neighborhood park in Pleasanton. Its fields are heavily used for soccer in the evenings and weekends. Most evenings you can find many of its nearby residents out for strolls and get-togethers at the park.

No drug-related activity discussed in any of the mentioned reviews.

A quick search via the Patch archives found an entry in a May 2012 police log reporting a Pleasanton man arrested on suspicion of using force to rob $200 from an Alameda woman. The crime occurred at the park.

Patch checked in with Pleasanton Police to get further details on recent incidents at the park. Here's a response from Lt. Jeff Bretzing:

Our available statistical data does not reveal any significant issues at Creekside Park. I asked our crime analyst to look at the calls to Creekside Park and found we responded there a total of 7 times since March 8, 2012.  Those 7 calls include a theft, suspicious vehicle, lost property report and one call for possible drug activity. If the residents in this area are frequently seeing a problem they are strongly encouraged to call us and report it. We will respond and investigate any reports of drug use and will also continue to provide high visibility patrol in the area in an effort to deter crime, as we do with all parks and schools. We appreciate when the community is actively involved in crime prevention and acts as extra eyes and ears. Together, we can continue to have a significant impact on crime in this city.

Residents can contact police at 925-931-5100 to report suspicious activity in town. For emergencies, call 911 or 925-931-5122.

Have you seen drug-related activity at Creekside Park or any other parks in town? Tell us in the comments section below.