INVESTIGATION: How Safe Are Mpls. Parks?  View Park Police Calls Maps

Loring Park is no stranger to big events like the Basilica Block Party, drawing tens of thousands of people to downtown.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation also shows the area is also no stranger to crime, and that's why Minneapolis Park Police are taking steps this summer to change that.

With 25,000 people all gathered in one spot near downtown Minneapolis for two days of music and fun, the annual Basilica Block Party is a big security challenge.

But after fifteen years, organizers have got it down to a science. Just a stone's throw away from the party, Loring Park has always been a safety concern even though the city has spent millions to renovate it over the past decade, sprucing up the place with new gardens and benches.

Yet the park continues to attract crime. Our investigation of data from the Minneapolis Park Police in 2008 shows officers responded to more than 150 calls here last year, with those crimes among the most serious in city parks. The calls range from 12 assaults, 20 fights, two thefts and one robbery.

But Park Police point out the violence actually stems from homeless people and youth drinking in the park. Officers handled 30 such calls last year.

"Most of the calls we get there are more of the nuisance kind, where people don't like seeing or having to step over drunks," said Chief Brad Johnson.

This year, Chief Johnson hopes the statistics will change for the better. He's assigned two full-time park agents on bikes to patrol Loring Park seven days a week throughout the summer, along with the Sculpture Garden and Parade Stadium across the street.

"That's new this year and it's already making a big difference," he said.

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