GTPD Takes on Additional Hours Patrolling Timber Creek Park

Gloucester Township Police Department has taken on an additional four hours patrolling Camden County's Timber Creek Park each night.

The new coverage arrangement began Saturday, June 9.

Camden County recently asked 17 towns—home to a total of 22 county-owned parks spanning 2,200 acres—to take on patrols of its parks system from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Camden County Park Police officers handled an average of 1.3 calls for all 22 parks per night over the four-hour period in 2011, Camden County spokesman Dan Keashen said on Tuesday.

Peak hours for the parks, particularly the two largest—Timber Creek and Cooper River—are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"We are using this as an opportunity to maximize our limited resources within those peak hours," Keashen said.

There are currently 15 Camden County Park Police officers.

Municipal police departments have patrolled the county's parks from midnight to 8 a.m. for the last three to four years, officials said.

Gloucester Township Police Chief W. Harry Earle indicated Monday night that the additional four hours of Timber Creek Park coverage will not require his department to alter its staffing in any way.

Timber Creek Park, which is a dog-friendly park, is the lone county-owned recreation area in Gloucester Township. The county also owns a so-called potter's field behind the hockey rinks at Marge Martin Sports Complex at Lakeland.