PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) – Police are taking aim at the deer population in the Parma Heights community.

“It’s kind of sad they have to do it, but these deer cause a lot of problems in this neighborhood,” said resident Tom Lambert.

People who live around Nathan Hale Park reacted to the city’s two-month deer culling program that started Monday night.

“It’s kind of sad, you know, because they are God’s creation,” said resident Aisna Lambert.

According to Police Chief Steve Scharschmidt, the department has formed a specialized deer-culling unit, which operates with two-man teams at night.

“One of the officers is a safety officer. That’s just in case people are walking through. We have signage to let people know that we are conducting deer culling in a certain location,” said Scharschmidt.

The locations include Nathan Hale Park, Kurtz Park, the area behind the NEO soccer facility and land next to the reservoir. Those areas will close at dark.

“They’re hunters, so they have experience. Of the nine officers, five of them have been on the SWAT team,” said Scharschmidt.

Police are looking to target around 55 deer this season.

The city has a list of 300 people who have signed up to take the carcasses. Police said those people are responsible for processing the deer.