EAST POINT, Ga. — Many parents are afraid to bring their kids to a popular metro Atlanta park because of people allegedly having sex in public during all hours of the day and night. Police have started a 'sex sting' operation because it's gotten so bad.
East Point Police said what's happening in a public park is causing them to get hundreds of monthly calls from upset residents, leading to nearly two dozen arrests. Many have also shown up to discuss their concerns at city council meetings.
Napoleon Black used to love walking his dogs at Sykes Park.
“You're talking 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 11 p.m., and this is that's not what we want this park," Black said.
What Black doesn't want to see is people allegedly having sex during broad daylight on tables, in the woods and throughout Sykes Park in front of children, according to police.
“I wouldn't send my wife. I wouldn't send my kids," Black said. "I wouldn't send any minors over into a park at night or during the day, for that matter, unless I was with them like a hawk.”
Now, police said they've started sex stings in the park to catch people in the act. Investigators said many aren't even from Georgia.
“We've been setting up surveillance in the area but also the use of social media in some of the sites that they use for meetups. We've been monitoring those as well," East Point Police Sgt. J. Watkins said.
Watkins said the nearly 24 people arrested are facing public indecency over the past few months.
“My major concern is for the kids," Watkins said. "I mean, they don't need to see this kind of stuff in public at all, as is already shown enough on TV.”
Black has a strong message for the people, making him feel uncomfortable going into the park.
“In a public park, there's a certain behavior you should maintain," Black said. "Would you want your family to see you behaving like this in a park?”
East Point Police encourage anyone who sees lewd acts in the park to call 911 immediately.
“We're not going to tolerate such acts in our in our city with the youth that are there trying to play and have fun and disrupt family lives," Watkins said.