The Riverton Police Department Chief of Police, Eric Murphy, has issued a public statement via the RPD Facebook page about the upcoming opening of the Riverton Splash Pad.
The Splash Pad is tentatively set to open for use near the end of May to coincide with the end of the school year.
The project created both excitement and hesitancy among Riverton citizens. The majority of the hesitancy was because of the location, Riverton City Park. The park has been notorious over the last several years for transients and crime.
RPD and the City of Riverton are continuing to dedicate events and features like the splash pad in hopes that it will reduce crime.
The full statement from Cheif Murphy is below in bold:
I have had a lot of questions and concerns about the upcoming Splashpad in City Park and the transient population that frequents the park. I would like to address this publicly. The Riverton Police Department has began a more proactive approach to the issues in City Park and we have seen a major positive impact on calls to City Park this year. I have personally spoken with each one of our frequent transients and explained to them that the Riverton Police Department along with the ciitzens of Riverton will be taking the park back over and that illegal behavior will not be tolerated. If a person is intoxicated, being in possession of alcohol, etc in City Park they will be arrested, no rides to Detox, No rides to a friends house, etc, they will be taken to jail.
The Riverton Police Department has been actively researching our current laws and finding loops holes in those laws as it pertains to alcohol related crimes and have introduced new laws to City Council to help us deal with the issues.
So here is my public promise to the families of Fremont County, I absolutely refuse to allow anyone to negatively affect the families that will be enjoying the Splashpad, The Riverton Police Department will dedicate an officer posted at that location if thats what it takes for families to have a positive experience. We will have officers on bikes, mounted on horses and in side by sides for the first couple weeks to send the message and then go from there.
I have been asked specifically about the Splashpad but our efforts will encompass City Park as a whole. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Eric Murphy
Chief of Police