Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Commissioner Adrian Benepe today presided over an awards ceremony for Urban Park Service officers at the Hunts Point Recreation Center in the Bronx. Urban Park Service officers include Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers, Urban Park Rangers, and Officers of Central Communications. For 23 years, these officers have served in the City's parks, enforcing rules and regulations, educating the public about the City's ecology, and preserving and protecting parks.

"Our City's parks are beautiful outdoor havens for all New Yorkers thanks to the capable and endless work of the members of the Urban Park Service," Mayor Bloomberg said. "On behalf of the entire City, I commend these officers for their tremendous efforts and thank them for helping keep our parks clean and safe."

"The Urban Park Service officers are Parks' ambassadors to the public," Commissioner Benepe said. "On a given day, an Urban Park Ranger is leading school children through a forest, a Parks Enforcement Patrol Officer is finding a lost child at a crowded parade, or a Central Communications Officer is helping a constituent alleviate noise in a neighborhood playground. As someone who started his career as a uniformed member of this group, I am proud to be part of the cadre of dedicated public servants, who work tirelessly to educate and protect the public."

Every year, Urban Park Service officers serve millions of parks users. They help manage nearly 6,000 special events in parks, offer education programs education to 70,000 school children, run weekend explorer programs from 12 nature centers, and work with volunteers and organizations like Americorp to preserve the City's natural resources. On September 11, 100 officers were stationed near the World Trade Center and were among the first uniformed officers to establish a perimeter and help evacuate people from the area. In the days that followed, Parks was the lead agency in rescuing more than 1,000 animals from lower Manhattan and helping area residents get their possessions from their apartments.

Mayor Bloomberg also swore in Adrian Benepe as Commissioner of Parks and Recreation at today's ceremony. "On a day when we are honoring the Urban Park Service for its contributions to our great City, I am proud to swear in Adrian Benepe, who began his impressive career in public service with the Urban Park Rangers, as Commissioner of Parks and Recreation." Mayor Bloomberg said. "Adrian has performed superbly throughout his career at Parks and I am confident that the City's parks will continue to expand and improve under his leadership."

Commissioner Benepe previously served as Manhattan Borough Commissioner from 1996 to 2002. He is the former Vice President for Issues and Public Affairs at the Municipal Art Society, and the Director of the Annual Fund and Major Gifts for the New York Botanical Garden. His career with the Parks Department stretches back thirty years, where his positions included Director of Art and Antiquities, Director of Natural Resources and Horticulture, Operations Coordinator and Director of Public Information; his first job in government was as a member of the inaugural class of the Urban Park Rangers. Commissioner Benepe earned an MS at Columbia School of Journalism and a BA from Middlebury College in English Literature. He is married to Charlotte Glasser, a teacher, and has two sons, Alex and Erik. Benepe's father, Barry Benepe, is a retired City planner who founded the Greenmarket system for New York City in 1977.