York City Police dedicated a new pocket park at their King Street headquarters on Sept. 3 that was designed and installed with the help of staff from General Recreation, Inc. in Newtown Square.

The park sits on a patch of grass to the left of the department headquarters, writes Paul Kuehnel for the York Daily Record.

The Outdoor Waiting Area/Pocket Park includes a Topsy Turvy Spinner for children, multiple seating areas, and a cushiony, rubbery walking surface.  Interactive play panels border the park.

Cameras monitor the park that parents and police department personnel can view.

General Recreation’s Steve Hemler, from the senior sales/marketing department, worked closely with stakeholders to develop the design for the play area. He also provided and installed the play equipment, safety surfacing, and shade structures.

“For years, our community has used this very spot as a court-ordered meeting spot for custody exchanges and a safe place to meet to exchange goods … loving parents have told their children to meet here to be picked up after school. … Most notably, victims and well-meaning witnesses have come right here with their little ones at their side while they report and recount their worst days,” York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow said in describing the grass patch.

Muldorow said he hopes the new space provides “a little place of refuge and a small slice of caring.”

The hope is that the park will provide a safe meeting place and “a positive distraction for children who have to accompany their parents while making reports, statements, or follow-up investigations,” according to a York City Police press release.

The park was funded from a $40,000 Open Space Improvement Grant.

Read more about the new pocket park in the York Daily Record.