As COVID-19 has reshaped our relationship with public spaces, it has also added challenges for those tasked with maintaining those spaces. At the Sept. 17 Human Relations Commission meeting, the Commission reviewed the state of compliance and enforcement for the new, Pandemic-era rules requiring social distancing and face coverings–jobs performed by the Park Rangers and the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD). At the same time, the Rangers and BHPD have also had to respond to the unforeseen impacts of the virus on the City’s homeless population.
“One of the new, huge responsibilities for both police and the Rangers has been COVID-19 and the changes that it’s caused to our parks,” said Human Services Administrator Jim Latta. “The Rangers have taken on patrolling social distancing, mask enforcement, and then with the various communities around us who have actually closed their parks, we’ve had a huge influx of transients in our City.”
