Nine individuals were cited by Manteca Police in the latest crackdown on people being in city parks after they are closed for the night.

By ordinance, most parks in Manteca are closed between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. although some exceptions have been carved out for community parks as well as Library Park. That said all parks have posted hours. The closure hours also apply to off-street parking lots if the park has one.

The biggest problem parks for use after hours are Library Park, Lincoln Park, Northgate Park, Spreckels Park/BMX track, and the Tidewater Bikeway greenbelt park.

The previous nighttime enforcement effort resulted in 14 people being cited for being in city parks after they were closed.

Most of the issues Thursday revolved around homeless although they also involve the sheltered.  

The three-hour crackdown came during an evening sweep of Manteca by community resource officers Stephen Smith and Mike Kelly. The two typically work in the day trying to encourage the homeless to get off the street by connecting them with services or relatives as well as dealing with homeless-related problems. They provide seven day coverage. Periodically they will switch their hours to the evening and night to address homeless related issues.

The Thursday patrol targeted specific areas that police have been receiving complaints about ranging from people being in parks after hours to illegal camping.

Two encampments were also located Thursday and were posted with the legally required notice before they can been removed

The two officers arrested four individuals who were later cited and released in the field for outstanding warrants. One person was cited for being in possession of narcotics and another cited for having an open container or alcohol

Manteca Police indicated as summer nights remain warm and more people are outside additional enforcement is being scheduled to address increasing after hours complaints regarding municipal parks and other areas.

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