Pasadena police respond to moms, kids at closed playground

PASADENA - A Facebook video showing Pasadena police officers enforcing the state's stay at home order is going viral. The Pasadena Police Department is responding to the video posted on Tuesday, May 11, and those critical of their officer's actions.

The Facebook video shows two women sitting at a table in a Pasadena park allegedly violating an executive order that closed the park's amenities. The video also shows a confrontation between those women and Pasadena police officers.

Pasadena police say someone called dispatch around 4:30 p.m. to report asomeone removed yellow cautionary tape around a park's playground equipment and allowed children to play on the equipment.

Officers can be seen on the viral Facebook video explaining to the women why their children can't play on the playground equipment. According to police, the City of Pasadena's parks are opened, but park amenities are closed in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Police say no citations were issued and no one was arrested during this incident.

In a statement, the Pasadena Police Department said, "[Pasadena] Mayor Wagner has permitted our city parks to remain open for use throughout this pandemic and has only closed the amenities in hopes of reducing community spread by minimizing the close proximity of persons who are not members of the same household. This decision was made based on the clear guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control regarding playground equipment in an attempt to keep our community safe."