Sebastopol Police, alarmed by an increase in complaints and problems in the Ives Park area, cited five young people for possession of marijuana and tobacco during an undercover surveillance operation Wednesday.
Police were acting in response to an armed robbery of two teens a week earlier and a Dec. 8 drive-by shooting, as well as community complaints regarding alleged drug use and sales, authorities said.
"This will be ongoing," Sgt. Mike Nielsen said. "This is in direct reaction to complaints we've had from the community about activity in the park."
Two teens, aged 17 and 18, were arrested in December on suspicion of shooting a shotgun into a group of teens and young adults. A 23-year-old man suffered multiple wounds in his arm and torso from shotgun pellets.
On Jan. 22, two teens were robbed by a knife-wielding man in a redwood grove between the park and the Sebastopol Veteran's Memorial Building on High Street.
Members of the community also have been complaining about drug activity in the park that makes them feel unwelcome and nervous, Nielsen said.
During a three-hour operation conducted Wednesday, they cited four people, aged 17 to 20, for possession of marijuana, Officer David Ginn said.
A 15-year-old also was cited for underage possession of tobacco products, Ginn said.
"We're focusing our efforts on concerns in the community," Nielsen said.
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