Swimming Prohibited as Police Patrol Devil's Pool at Group's Request

Off-duty police have been patrolling the Devil's Pool area more than usual this summer.

Because of that, swimmers haven't been able to enter it in the way they normally do during the warm months. Lt. Michael Kopecki of the said police have been watching over the area for several hours on weekend days for the past few weeks.

They've been doing so, he said, at the request of the (FOW). The group, which watches over the park, was concerned with the amount of trash being left at the popular swimming spot.

"They're leaving so much trash there, it's unbelievable," Kopecki said of the scene. "That's the big issue."

FOW Executive Director Maura McCarthy said the organization started working on the matter about four years ago, when it became clear that graffiti and trash were becoming a major problem there.

She said a group of high school students—called the city conservation crew—go to the site three times a week to clean up. They've been doing that for three years.

But the group also wanted an increased police presence at the pool. So this year, it used some extra money it had in its budget to pay for off-duty officers to sign up and patrol the site on select weekends.

Things came to a head as the weather got warm. "This weekend was particularly heavy," she said of the past Saturday and Sunday.

So police decided to increase their presence. Normally, according to Kopecki, police tend to look the other way when it comes to swimming there. It's illegal for anyone enter the Wissahickon Creek, which is where Devil's Pool is, but if there weren't any residual problems that come up while people are swimming there, cops generally would let people in.

Police would normally simply keep people from diving into the pool and from parking at the site, but this weekend, they chose to prohibit swimming altogether.

That, McCarthy said, is what FOW wanted.

"What we're really looking for is enforcement of exisitng rules," she said. "We really don't need new rules for the park. We just need to abide by the existing rules that are in place."

FOW also has a message up on its website about the matter that focused on the potential perils of jumping in to the body of water. That's something many people love to do there.

"Swimming in and jumping into Devil's Pool is extremely dangerous and illegal," the message read. "Over the years, there have been many serious injuries as a result of these activities, including broken bones and permanent paralysis. Police will be present at Devil's Pool to enforce these laws."

Kopecki said police are hoping to get dirt bikes to patrol the area even more effectively.

McCarthy said she isn't sure whether police will be at the pool every weekend for the rest of the summer, but she said FOW will continue to work with police to try and ensure that park rules are being followed.

"They'll do their best," she said.