New Position Aims to Provide Safety in Fargo Parks: Highlighted After Man is Chased with Machete

The police department is calling Josh Marvig the new park officer and the parks district has given him the title of security coordinator

FARGO, N.D. — A Fargo man was arrested Sunday after chasing a man with a machete in a Fargo park.

Police got a call shortly after 9 p.m. to an area near the playground in Lindenwood Park.

They say 25–year–old Emmanuel Gartei got into an argument with the man over money.

Gartei then went to his car to get a machete and chased the man who fell down and received some minor scrapes.

Witnesses stopped Gartei from continuing the attack and he fled.

He was later pulled over on a traffic stop on South University Drive and arrested for terrorizing.

Leaders in our community say parks are a place where kids and families are meant to feel safe and run free.

A new position within the Fargo Police Department is aimed at continuing that safety.

The police department is calling Josh Marvig the new park officer and the parks district has given him the title of security coordinator.

“The Fargo Park District and the Fargo Police Department have a long history of collaborative efforts and I think this takes that to the next level,” said Joel Vettel, with Fargo Park District.

Spending many shifts in the parks, Marvig will serve as the liaison between officials and the community.

“Building those relationships and those lines of communication is going to be the biggest part of this job,” Marvig said.

As a kid growing up in Fargo he knows firsthand what it’s like to play in the parks, but also wanting to feel safe.

“And I’ve had those bad experiences working patrol where somebody goes to the parks and they didn’t feel safe because of something else that happened there and so I think this is a great spot to combat some of that,” Marvig said.

Josh says although the position is meant to be transitional he isn’t going anywhere soon. He’ll be sliding in and out of all of the Fargo parks for the next five years.

“I’m in week three of five years so I’ve got a lot of time to take this all in and kind of make my stamp as the first one to do this for the park district and for the police department,” Marvig said.

How was this position created?

“It’s directly related to comments and concerns that people have had,” Vettel said.

The Parks District is taking that feedback seriously, making changes to fulfill those needs.

“Taking that communication and those ideas and making them a reality and that’s what happened here,” Vettel said.

At the end of the day, both departments want to serve the community in the best way they can.

“The hope is that every person that goes out and sees something they feel comfortable reaching out and it’s going to go directly to someone that is dedicated to this spot and that is dedicated to the park district,” Marvig said.

“That’s the key, is to make sure that we’re working together to provide the best possible experience in our system but more importantly the best quality of life in our community.”

They plan to create a separate area on the parks website for people to contact Officer Marvig directly with any questions or concerns.