The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division takes a proactive approach to patron, staff, and resource protection. We are dedicated to providing safe places for recreation and the enjoyment of nature.
Our Customer Code of Conduct is designed to inform and educate visitors on the safest and most enjoyable experiences, while ensuring their own personal safety and security while visiting our parks.
The Security Section oversees the overall security of Parks staff and visitors. It employs a team of Park Rangers, partners with local law enforcement, as well as contracted security, to provide a proactive response to suspicious and/or emergency situations. We have video surveillance cameras in use throughout the parks, and a security-focused signage system is in place, reminding park visitors to Park Smart, and to help us with the Park Watch program, which asks our patrons to be the extra sets of eyes and ears that help to keep our parks safe for everyone.
If you witness a crime in progress or notice suspicious activity in a park, please dial 911 immediately and call the situation to the attention of the park manager.
Park Watch is a crime-prevention program along the lines of a neighborhood crime watch. It depends on youths, adults, and senior citizens to help eradicate crime, drugs, and gangs from the park(s) in their neighborhood.
The assumption is that the people who know a neighborhood or community best are the people who live and play there. Residents can help reduce crime in their area simply by paying attention and reporting strangers who are acting suspicious or situations that "just don't look or feel right" to the police or park management. By getting to know your parks better, you can help us ensure that they're safe places for you and your family.
For more information on joining or establishing a Park Watch in your community, contact the park office or call Parks and Recreation Division's Security Section at 954-357-8142.
Tips for Your Personal Safety
Don't leave anything of value in your vehicle.
Transfer belongings into your trunk before you get to the park.
Listen to your intuition - if something doesn't seem right, report it to park staff or the police.
Be aware of your surroundings - distractions such as cellphones and earphones limit your ability to hear and see what is around you, including traffic and other potential threats.
Stay in well-lighted and open areas whenever possible.
Keep children under close watch and near you at all times.
Tips for Water Safety
We hope you enjoy the water amenities at Broward County parks. We have a dedicated, highly trained lifeguard staff that routinely receives recognition from Ellis & Associates, an international aquatic safety and risk management consulting firm dedicated to the prevention and elimination of drowning. Please help us keep our water parks a safe place for all by following these important tips:
- Teach children water safety and swimming skills as early as possible – check out our summer Learn to Swim program.
- Always brief babysitters on water safety, emphasizing the need for constant supervision.
- Appoint a "designated watcher" to monitor children during social gatherings at or near pools.
- Maintain constant visual contact with children in a pool or pool area.
- Don't think you'll hear a child who's in trouble in the water; child drowning is a silent death, with no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble.
- Post CPR instructions and learn the procedures.
- Don't use flotation devices as a substitute for supervisors.
Note: These water-safety tips are brought to you by SWIM Central, who in partnership with the Broward County School Board and Children's Services Council of Broward County (CSC), provides programs for the recruitment, training, and certification of swim instructors, along with basic first aid and CPR instruction for parents and guardians. The CSC also provides coupons to offset the cost of swimming lessons for children ages 6 months through 7 years. Visit Water Smart Broward for more information and a coupon.
