Before implementing the park ranger program with the village, the Manteno Police Department was inundated with calls about roughhousing at the Square on Second.

“We employ the park rangers to handle the minor things,” said Lt. Steve Skelly, at the Feb. 17 village board meeting. “They do not do any kind of enforcement. They don’t write ordinances or obviously make arrests, but they just keep people from running too fast or throwing balls or dispatching small arguments.”

Skelly said prior to the park ranger program that was implemented about five years ago, the police department would receive four or five calls on each afternoon shift, regarding issues at the Square on Second. Most of those centered around the bounce pillow on the Square.

“It was crazy, and it was big kids pushing little kids on the bounce, but it was just a lot of small stuff,” he said. “... It’s saved us probably 100 calls a year.”

Skelly said the park rangers, who are part-time village employees, are a mixture of young and old in Manteno.

“When we started, we kind of envisioned it with college kids,” he said. “Right now it’s a mix of two college kids and two retirees. And that’s kind of always been the case. Nobody really in the middle – college kids and retirees.”

The park rangers, who were paid $17 per hour last year, start in late April or early May and work through the Oktoberfest in late September. They cover shifts from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., once school ends.

It has been a good training ground for the college students.

“We’ve actually hired two of our park rangers as police officers and a third one is on our list [to hire],” Skelly said.

Remarkably the four park rangers are able to cover most shifts.

“They only miss a few shifts,” Skelly said. “They kind of communicate with each other and kind of fill the shifts if somebody can’t be there. And then if the weather is bad, they can make their own decision to deflate the pillow and go home if it’s going to rain.”

Village Trustee Peggy Vaughn commended the park ranger program during her Public Safety & Health committee report.

“Over the years, this program has significantly reduced issues at the park and has limited the need for our officers to respond, allowing them to remain available for higher priority calls for service,” she said. “It has been an effective and proactive way to keep the park safe and enjoyable for everyone.”

Skelly said the four rangers work in six-hour shifts during the summer, and he’s hoping to get them back this year.

“They’ve done a fantastic job, and they’re just out there being good ambassadors for the village,” he said.