Community Corner

Extra Law Enforcement Delivers Fourth of July Message in Hermosa Beach

Law enforcement was definitely on hand in Hermosa Beach on July 4. How'd it work for you?

Hermosa Beach city officials and police upped the ante for the city's onslaught of Fourth of July revelers this year, increasing law enforcement personnel and spreading word of their intent to keep the use of alcohol in check.

In the latest information available, City News Service reports the city's efforts netted 31 arrests between 6 a.m. on July 4 and 3 a.m. on July 5. In 2012, police arrested 24 individuals, 17 of those for public intoxication.

Indeed, statistics for the Fourth for 2012 and 2013 pale compared to 2011's three arrests for public intoxication.

In an interview before July 4, Interim Police Chief Michael McCray told Patch the process of changing from a destination for unruly partyers will take "a long-term approach." 

On the Fourth, just as law enforcement personnel were moving toward the end of their efforts to disperse a crowd of about 2,000 beachgoers on the sand at 2nd Street, he again re-iterated the point, saying it would take two to four years of a continued police crackdown to get the message out that unlawful people are not wanted in the city.

"You have to set the standard and then we have to be consistent in our enforcement," he said. 

To set the standard this year, City Council authorized the use of 50 Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies, 32 more than were used in 2012. The regional Avoid the 100 DUI task force was in the city on the Fourth as were investigators from the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control division, he said.

The Hermosa Beach Fire Department upped its ante, too, he said, sending a fire investigator out to check business occupancy loads and adding a second ambulance to its cache.

City code enforcement officers, who can issue citations, also worked the Fourth, checking on vendors on The Strand or Pier Plaza, he noted.

On Thursday, law enforcement also used a helicopter to conduct surveillance. As the crowd of some 2,000 gathered on 2nd Street, those in the air were able to advise officers on the ground about crowd behavior, open space and the like.

As four-wheel drive patrol and all-terrain vehicles moved in from points north along with mounted law enforcement, their efforts were coordinated with the helicopter and command post, which was set up at 2nd Street.

The effort to disperse the crowd went smoothly, with those on the beach being told to exit on a certain walk street south of 2nd Street and policing staff on hand to direct them one way, off the sand.

City Manager Tom Bakakly, who experienced his first Fourth of July in Hermosa in 2013 by riding along on calls with fire department staff, told Patch on July 3 that the city was prioritizing its approach to stemming the tide of unlawful alcoholic behavior on the Fourth "based upon resources" and that underage drinking and parties and people that were "causing public impacts" would be the focus of law enforcement this year.

McCrary told Patch his department is due to present a report on this year's Fourth of July police activity in about 30 days. From there, City Council will decide what the city's next moves are for dealing with unlawful alcohol use and related behaviors, whether on Pier Plaza, downtown, The Strand or anywhere in the city, Fourth of July and otherwise.

To inform and educate the public about the focus on alcohol-related offenses on the Fourth, the city created two videos posted on Facebook, YouTube and available to media and engaged in an advance educational campaign that included a letter to the community and a reverse 9-1-1 call from McCrary a
week before the Fourth. 

Hermosa Beach police and city officials say the biggest problems come from people who do not live in Hermosa Beach. They say they want people to come to Hermosa but not to trash it, treat it poorly or cause trouble.

In the reverse 9-1-1 call, McCrary's message was:

"Hello, This is a message from Interim Police Chief Michael McCrary. I am calling to let you know that the Hermosa Beach police will be working hard to protect the public's safety in our city on the Fourth of July.

"As you may know, unruly crowds and intoxicated individuals have endangered themselves and the public on this holiday in previous years.

"This Fourth of July will be different in Hermosa Beach.

"We have launched a coordinated education and enforcement campaign to protect the public.

"We will be tripling the number of law enforcement personnel in Hermosa Beach starting at 10 a.m. on July 4. We also will triple the fines for drinking in public beginning July 1.

"This increased enforcement will make it possible for us to strictly enforce laws banning public intoxication, drinking alcohol on the beach or in public, driving while intoxicated and using illegal drugs.

"We will also be enforcing a new law that could cost teens their drivers' license if they're drinking alcohol on the beach or in public.

"Please let your friends and family know about this strict enforcement. And please make this a safe and happy Fourth of July for everyone by obeying the laws, respecting your neighbors and celebrating responsibly.

"Thank you for your time and attention. For more information, please visit the city's website -- HermosaBch.org.

"All of us at the City of Hermosa Beach wish you and your family a happy and safe Fourth of July.

"This ends the July 4th public safety message."

To read about the reverse 9-1-1 program in the city, click here. The link to sign-up for the "code red" aka reverse 9-1-1 program is at the bottom of the information page.

What do you think of the city's efforts to curb unlawful behavior and make the city safer for the public on the Fourth of July? Was it a success? What else do they need to do?


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