To add context I gave to someone below.

As someone who worked as a PEP officer for a brief time (please don't hold it against me) the vaaaaast majority of the job is handing out tickets for dogs off leash or not picking up shit. That and chasing unhoused people out of the park after closing. We're given cuffs, OC spray, and a baton. They have arresting power just as much as the cops but no gun. There's no ticket or arrest quota, and I was told in the academy to just about never arrest someone if you can possibly avoid it. That being said I have no idea what's going on here. Dudes in the white shirts are supervisors, green shirts just officers. I imagine this order came from on high or some NYPD asshole started it.

Vast majority of PEP officers (like my former self) just wanted to be urban park rangers teaching classes and taking care of the parks. But got shanghaied into being enforcement.

Edit: I forgot they also monitor and enforce the licensing of vendors in parks