Brookhaven Town park rangers face cuts

Arno Herwerth does not want a budget cut to cost him his job as a Brookhaven Town park ranger -- and he thinks public safety will suffer if planned layoffs occur.

"There's vandalism, graffiti, drug dealers," he said. "We're not going to be around, and that's going to be more of a workload for police."

Herwerth's argument cuts to the heart of a debate among Brookhaven officials about whether to cut the town's eight park rangers next year. Supervisor Mark Lesko, who proposed the layoffs, said the measure would save the cash-strapped town $215,000.

The rangers are armed, part-time officers who patrol the town's beaches, recreation areas and public buildings. All have backgrounds in corrections or law enforcement and are authorized to make arrests.

Lesko said the rangers' efforts duplicate the services of the Suffolk Police Department, and that the town can no longer afford the manpower. The layoffs could be approved next month as part of Lesko's proposed $260 million 2012 budget, which includes a host of other cuts that reflect the town's flagging revenues.

The town would maintain facilities with unarmed public safety officers, Lesko said.

"Right now we really can't be duplicating services," Lesko said. "We're going to have to rely on county police."

Lesko also said the number of arrests made by the rangers has been minimal. Rangers have made eight arrests and issued 115 court appearance tickets in 2011, town officials said. The rangers have made 23 arrests since the town hired them in 2008, officials said.

But at least one member of the town board -- which is set to vote on Lesko's budget on Nov. 17 -- opposes the budget cut. Councilwoman Jane Bonner, who described the cut as "penny-wise and pound-foolish," said she will push for the town to keep the rangers.

"They protect millions of dollars of assets that the town taxpayers pay for," Bonner said. "Cheap is expensive in the long run."

Three other Suffolk County towns -- Babylon, Islip and Smithtown -- employ park rangers. Long Island's nine other towns, including the three in Nassau, do not have rangers.

Brookhaven created the park ranger division in September 2008 to better police public property.

The rangers proved helpful in patrolling parks, but finding ways to save money is critical for the town now, said Deputy Supervisor Kathleen Walsh.

"I get that it would be nice to have them," she said. "But we have to cut."

Herwerth, a former New York Police Department officer, said it's a decision the town might regret.

"Wherever there's a problem, we hit them all," he said.

With Newsday staff