ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A new memo from the Governor’s Office is calling for Park Police to be under the “command and control” of the Division of State Police.

According to the Governor’s office, New York parks’ attendance is up by 28 percent since 2011. That is part of the reason why a new memo directs State Police to take over the command and control of the Park Police.

A statement from Governor Cuomo says in part,

“…The current system is indicative of the mentality of the past and with this action we’ll be able to deploy state resources more efficiently and effectively and better respond to any threats to the safety of the 74 million people who visit New York’s parks and historic sites each year.”‎

PBA Secretary Troy Caupain said, “As we move forward with this merger, the PBA is working to ensure that our members experience a seamless transition, which we believe will occur because of many years of shared services between our two State Police units.”

“I respect and understand the Governor with consolidation of services, he’s been doing that over the past decade and by all means maybe it will save money; however, it’s a little bit more complicated than that. The existing Park Police Officers will have to meet State Police candidate qualifications,” said Thomas Mungeer, NYS Troopers PBA President.

The Governor’s Office also said there are about 250 parks, historic sites and recreational facilities in New York State. According to the Governor’s Office, Park Police respond to 40,000 calls annually.