The Minneapolis Park Police may be small—with 36 full time sworn officers and 15 park guards—but they have an enormous task.

Their priority is to protect an estimated 15 million annual visitors who enjoy some 6,400 acres of parkland and lakes.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS wanted to know just how safe are the parks, so we obtained records of the more than 15,000 calls Park Police responded to last year, then plotted them on a map to find the hotspots with the most calls.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS found many are what Chief Brad Johnson describes as ‘nuisance calls,’ things that happen when people drink too much or when kids get out of hand.

"We very seldom get a call to crime that would affect or impact a stranger," Johnson said.

But our investigation found there is plenty going on in and around the parks of Minneapolis that should concern visitors.

Last June, a huge celebration in Theodore Wirth Park lead to a fight and then gunfire. Three innocent bystanders were wounded.

"It was pretty chaotic. A lot of families were trying to get their kids out of here. Police were zooming all over the road," said witness Michelle Gross.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS discovered Park Police responded to the Wirth Park area 68 times last year. Among the calls, eight fights and nine reports of gunfire.

Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet are the city's biggest destination parks—drawing 5 million visitors in 2008.

Our analysis of Park Police records found three assaults, three reports of gunfire, 21 car break ins, an armed robbery, and 14 sex related offenses—all at or near these very popular family destinations.

Of the 194 police calls to the Chain of Lakes last year, our investigation discovered the most crime was at Lake Calhoun with 87 calls last year.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS went on patrol with Officer Troy Sandberg and Sgt. Fred McCormick. The Park Police Department's jurisdiction is scattered all across the city, covering 182 parks in all.

On this night, Sandberg and McCormick head to Peavey Park, which they say is a frequent hangout for gang members. Our analysis found Park Police were called to this one block area south of Downtown 31 times last year, including calls for drugs, assault, car theft, and robbery.

Just a few hours later, Sandberg and McCormick rush back to Peavey Park along with a half dozen other backup squads on a report of gunshots.

2008 Park Police Calls Click on a park below to see a map and type of call.  Audubon Park  Armatage  Basset Creek Park  Beltrami Park  Bohanon Park  Boom Island Park  Bossen Field  Bottineau  Brackett Field  Brownie Lake Rec  Bryant Square and Painter Park  Brynmawr Meadows  Cedar Lake  Central Park  Cleveland  Clinton Park Rec Center  Columbia Golf Manor  Corcoran Park  Cottage Park  Coyle Community Center Park  Creekview  Currie  Deming Heights Park  Diamond Lake  Dickman Park  Downtown Riverfront  Edwards C. Solomon  Elliot Park  Fairview Park  Folwell Park  Fuller  Gluek  Hall  Harrison Park  Jackson Square  Jordan Park  Kenney  Kenwood Park  Lake Calhoun  Lake Harriet  Lake Hiawatha  Lake Nokomis  Lake of the Isles  Linden Hills  Logan Park  Loring Park  Lovell Square and Bethun Park  Luxton and Tower Hill Parks  Lyndale Farmstead  Lyndale  Lynnhurst Field  Matthews Park  Martin Luther King  Mcrae  Mill Ruins  Minnehaha Park  Minnehaha Parkway  Mississippi Park  Morris Park  Nicollet Island  North Commons  Northeast Athletic Field  Parade Stadium, Sculpture Garden, Spring Lake  Pearl Lake  Peavey Field  Pershing  Phelps Field  Pillsbury Park and St. Anthony Falls  Powderhorn Park  Riverside Park  Sheridan Memorial  Shingle Creek  Sibley Field  St. Anthony Park  Stevens Square  Stewart  Sunset Memorial Park and Hillside Cemetery  The Gateway  Todd  Van Cleve  Victory  Waite Park  Washburn Fair Oaks  Water Power  Webber and Lions Parks  Whittier  Windom Park  Wirth Park