BIRDS, BEES, AND THEN SOME AT HACKENSACK RIVER PARK

PETER POCHNA, Staff Writer
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
07-19-2001
BIRDS, BEES, AND THEN SOME AT HACKENSACK RIVER PARK -- POLICE PATROLS TARGETING
LEWD BEHAVIOR
By PETER POCHNA, Staff Writer
Date: 07-19-2001, Thursday
Section: NEWS
Edition: All Editions -- Two Star B, Two Star P, One Star B

Signs along a boardwalk in Hackensack River County Park describe
the birds that frequent the scenic wetland: the snowy egret, the wood
duck, the belted kingfisher, and the green-winged teal.

But visitors seeking a glimpse of these beautiful birds say they
are encountering something far different: lewd behavior.

With its winding, secluded trails, the 30-acre park has become a
hot spot for gay men cruising for sex.

An Internet site for gay men across the country ranks the park --
tucked up against the parking lot of the Riverside Square mall -- one of
the top cruising destinations in New Jersey.

"It's an absolute shame," said Jay Auslander, a lawyer from Teaneck
who stopped taking his children to the park after seeing men having sex
there. "It's such a gorgeous place, and it could be a wonderful place to
visit."

In the past few months, Bergen County Police have arrested 12 men
there on charges of public lewdness. Another man escaped officers by
jumping into the river.

In each case, police said, the suspects were either masturbating
themselves or each other. An officer in one of the instances reported
finding three men standing together and masturbating with their pants
down.

On Wednesday, police and county officials announced they were
stepping up their efforts in response to public complaints. Additional
police officers, both in uniform and undercover, have begun patrolling
the park and will do so until the lewd behavior is eliminated, said
Bergen County Parks Director Wolfgang Albrecht Jr.

"Our message now is that it's over," Albrecht said. "We will close
the park down to that kind of activity. We take it very personally when
certain individuals take advantage of the natural areas we create for
our patrons and use them inappropriately."

"We are working on achieving a balance here," said Bergen County
Police Capt. Uwe Malakas. "We want people to enjoy nature, but we want
them to do it without breaking the law."

Enforcement won't be easy because of the park's pristine beauty.

Lining the gravel trails are cattails and phragmites towering more
than 10 feet, limiting visibility to a few feet. Officers patrolling
Wednesday joked that they needed machetes as they pushed their way
through an overgrown trail to one of the park's bird-watching blinds.

The wooden slats through which bird-watchers peer are covered with
graffiti containing phone numbers and descriptions of male genitalia.
They are also popular sex spots, police said.

Opened in 1990, the park has its entrance in the back of the mall's
three-level parking garage. Those intent on illicit behavior can park
anonymously among mall patrons, police said. The mall also screens the
park from the public, keeping crowds away and preserving the privacy of
men seeking sex.

On a recent sunny lunch hour, the park appeared empty until a man
and a woman sat on a bench with a meal from a nearby fast-food
restaurant.

Reports of public sex at the park began rising in the past year,
police said.

The increase coincides with a posting in the "Cruise Spots" section
of a Web site that began listing the park on May 23, 2000. The site,
which claims to get more than 10,000 hits per day, gives the park a
slightly below average "action" rating but an above-average "safety"
rating -- indicating that there is little interference from law
enforcement.

"Police [and] mall security is non-existent these days," a park
visitor posted on the Web site's message board last fall. "Guys [are]
starting to frequent [the park] as other cruise spots are shut down in
the area."

Malakas did not think enforcement at the park has ever been low --
and said it certainly won't be so from now on.

County police will work with their Hackensack counterparts to
ensure that the park is patrolled several times each day, he said. And
instead of the single officers who patrolled in the past, teams will fan
out, Malakas said.

Lewd activity at the park apparently has declined since the rash of
arrests in May and June, said Bergen County Police Capt. Kevin Hartnett.
No suspects have been arrested there this month, he said.

David Morris, president of the Gay Activist Alliance of Morris
County, the largest gay organization in New Jersey, said he supports
police crackdowns on illegal behavior. He also said the public should be
aware that heterosexuals engage in public sex acts just as commonly as
homosexuals.

"If people are having sex out in the open, the police should simply
do their job, and I have no problem with that at all," Morris said.

Riverside Square mall welcomes the increased police presence, said
Brenda Haas, the mall's marketing manager. Mall management is aware of
the illegal activity in the park, she said.

"As a business nearby the park and its Hackensack neighbor,
Riverside Square would like to see the park enjoyed safely by area
residents," Haas said.

Auslander, who often kayaks along the river past the park, said he
wants his children to be able to enjoy its beauty. Still, he remains
skeptical.

"Most families don't even know about it," he said. "It's just
become a cruising ground."

Staff Writer Peter Pochna's e-mail address is pochna(at)northjersey.com

Illustrations/Photos: 1 - COLOR PHOTO - MEL EVANS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Jay
Auslander rowing near the Hackensack River County Park bird blind where he saw
men having sex. 2 - PHOTO - PETER MONSEES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Bergen County
Police Capt. Uwe Malakas. Police said they are stepping up patrols at the park.

Keywords: HACKENSACK. PARK. WILDLIFE. SEX. HOMOSEXUAL

Copyright 2001 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.