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A shrill whistle from the soccer field signaled an early spring in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. On Tuesday afternoon, as men played soccer in the warm weather, a busload of tourists eagerly posed and smiled for photos in front of the Unisphere.

With the arrest of three suspects in a string of attacks—including the machete murder of Carlos Flores and the beating of Jae Woo Park who is still in a coma—the Parks Department has re-assigned its employees responsible for park safety to another task: counting how many people dispose of their dog’s waste.

These NYPD-deputized park cops, part of the Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP), said that the police have almost disappeared from the park and the PEPs, rather than keeping a close watch on the park, have been keeping a tally on dog owners who clean up after their canines.

A copy of a March 2 internal Parks Dept. e-mail anonymously sent to the Tribune explains the task:

“As per Comm Kavanagh we must now begin to d[o]cument how many individuals we observe actually remving the canine waste and abiding by the law at each of our targeted parks…”

The e-mail was sent by PEP group Deputy Inspector Robert Reeves on orders of First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh.

The new task comes at the same time that the Parks Dept. is working to codify its off-leash dog law.

Several PEP officers, who requested to remain confidential for fear of losing their jobs, said they were shocked when they received the e-mail.

“When I first saw that, I thought it was a joke,” said one officer. “It’s ridiculous; it’s almost demeaning.”

While PEP officers are responsible for quality of life issues like enforcing dog waste removal rules, the officers said instructing them to sit on a bench and count responsible dog owners is a poor use of resources, especially when crime in Flushing Meadows is high.

“I’m counting a lady with a poodle and someone behind me is getting jumped,” said another officer.

According to a Parks Dept. job posting, the first responsibility of PEP officers is to provide safety. PEPs will “perform patrols of park facilities as part of a highly visible uniformed division (and) ensure the safety and enjoyment of park users and the protection of parks property.”

In addition, college courses in criminal justice or military police experience are listed under preferred skills and qualifications.

There are currently a total of 20 PEP officers in Queens, with five to eight officers working at the same time, one PEP explained. After the November and December attacks, an overnight shift from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. was added.

The Parks Dept. acknowledged the new task but said the park cops’ goal is to ultimately catch violators. “Beginning this February, plainclothes officers are stationed in five parks per borough to monitor and issue summonses for any canine violations,” the e-mail read.

The several PEP officers interviewed said the lack of surveillance, particularly in Flushing Meadows, fosters an environment that makes crime easy to commit.

For example, on a recent Sunday, two out of the three officers on duty in Queens were assigned to track people who cleaned up after their dogs in Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village and Mafera Park in Maspeth. No one was assigned to patrol Flushing Meadows, a PEP officer said.

Patricia Dolan, president of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Conservancy, said Monday that the assignment makes no sense to her, and added that security in the park should be a top priority.

She said the directors of the cultural institutions like the Queens Museum and Queens Theatre in the Park should be more adamant about it.

“They wonder why they don’t have so many people coming to visit,” she said. “I would not walk from Willet’s Point to the Queens Museum. I would be highly uncomfortable. There’s no one except me and the bad guy.”

Other park users agreed, like Jonathon Maimon of Forest Hills who walks everyday in Fresh Meadows’ Cunningham Park.

He said even though Flushing Meadows is closer to his home, he never walks there.

“It’s dangerous,” he said during a break from his morning workout. “I know for 20 years. Others don’t use it. It’s an abandoned place.”

At Flushing Meadows, Flushing resident Robert Dunenfeld makes frequent trips to the Queens Zoo.

He said he would like to see a police precinct, like the one the park had during the 1964 World’s Fair. Crime may have momentarily stopped, but Dunenfeld doesn’t believe it’s over.

“When the coast is clear, those jerks will come back,” he said.

The PEP officers said they want make Flushing Meadows safer—not keep tabs on how many people scoop up after their dogs.

“You’re taking us away from a park that should have the attention,” one said.