Font ResizePolice departments have long heard complaints about men going to Rocky Ridge and William H. Kain county parks looking for sex with other men -- exactly what the County Commissioners said this week they want to crack down on.
Park rangers have arrested nearly 80 men since August, citing them with loitering and disorderly conduct, but, the Commissioners said, the effort has done little to discourage the behavior.
"We've been getting calls about that for the last 20 years," said Springettsbury Township Police Lt. Scott Laird.
The department has previously assisted with efforts at Rocky Ridge -- which is in Springettsbury Township -- if the park rangers ask for it, Laird said. If needed, they would do so again.
York Area Regional Police, whose jurisdiction includes Kain park, have previously gotten complaints about men meeting in the park's parking lots, said Sgt. Rod Varner. But, he added, the department has not gotten many calls recently.
This spring, park rangers became aware that men were using remote trails or parking lots for trysts. During the investigation, the men would approach undercover rangers and proposition them. Sometimes they expose themselves or try to grab the rangers.
The rangers have citation power, said Commissioner Steve Chronister. They are all former police offers, he said, with undercover training.
jfrantz@ydr.com; 771-2062
