GROSSE POINTE WOODS, Mich. (AP) - The Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Woods will require photo permits to get into a popular park in an effort to keep out nonresidents blamed for recent troublemaking.
Residents older than 8 must have their photos taken at City Hall that will be linked to their passes to Lake Front Park, The Detroit News reported.
City Administrator Bruce Smith said people who don’t live in the community northeast of Detroit have been using passes that didn’t belong to them.
“We had three or four incidents this past month or two with some property damage and assaults and thought it was time to take some steps,” Smith said.
“There was just a series of issues that came up in the last few months that caused us to think about procedures,” he said. “We want to maintain the park as a family place for residents and thought this was the right thing to do.”
The park is located in adjacent St. Clair Shores but is owned by Grosse Pointe Woods. Residents may bring guests to the park.
Grosse Pointe Woods previously installed surveillance cameras in the park.
“The photo ID, I think it’s a bit much,” said Mary Lees, of Grosse Pointe Woods. “Why do you need somebody’s picture? I don’t understand that.”
The passes already include a resident’s name, age, address and gender, she noted.
“If they want to see a picture of me, I’ll break out my driver’s license,” said her husband, Steven Lees.
But David Tumpkin, who recently moved to Grosse Pointe Woods, said he’s not bothered by the policy.
“They are trying to keep the riff-raff out,” said Tumpkin. “I am fine with that.”
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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/
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