SEA ISLE CITY – This resort’s City Council met July 26 and most of the meeting was taken up with questions, concerns, and suggestions regarding how to ensure the city continues to be viewed as a safe destination.
Police Chief Thomas D’Intino gave council an update on what the municipality’s police are doing in the wake of safety concerns. They have arisen on the Promenade. As unfolded Memorial Day Weekend, hundreds of teenagers created an atmosphere of inconvenience and safety questions.
“We’ve been showing enhanced enforcement with more officers on the Promenade including a sheriff with a canine on the weekends. We’ve been very, very busy, but we’ve got everything under control, we’ve made quite a few arrests and set up a sub-station on the Promenade to process those juveniles who we don’t need to bring in. They are only released to their parents so they can see when they drop off their kids that it’s not a quiet environment after 7 p.m. and before 11 p.m.,” D’Intino explained.
D’Intino, responding to a public comment, noted that canines operate under a “plain sniff” standard, meaning that they can sniff backpacks. If there is something suspicious contained within the officer can apply for an immediate warrant to search further under probable cause.
In passing, he mentioned the recent armed robbery of a residence but said: “This is not connected to the Promenade situation, and we believe it was not a random act.”
“I’ve heard a lot of compliments that things are getting better, but I’ve also heard that there are still bikers on the Promenade after hours and that people just don’t feel this year is the same as others. We’ve had biker and pedestrian incidents even in the crosswalks.
“It would be useful for the police department to put out a press release about all the positive things you are doing,” said Committee member Mary Tighe. D’Intino mentioned that people need to show more common sense to which Tighe agreed.
During public comments, several residents gave opinions on the situation of safety and security as well as recommendation to improve the atmosphere. These suggestions included more lighting on the Promenade; instituting a curfew throughout the municipality and keeping demographic statistics on who the juvenile troublemakers are. In response to this latter, D’Intino said, “It’s a mix of everything, not many from Sea Isle City with the majority coming from offshore or Wildwood with parents dropping them off and then picking them up late.”
One resident asked why sirens “Have to go off for so long and are they really needed in this age of chips and cell phones?” Council member Frank Edwardi clarified, “The sirens will run until three responders are on the truck ready to go out, as a safety precaution. We can’t rely on cell phones because there are so many down or dead areas or people don’t have them on their person at all times if they’re working so the sirens are really necessary.”
Remind of Advertising A-Frames
Alan Fischer commented that he is seeing more merchants not observing the six-foot clearance on sidewalks proscribed by ordinance when they are positioning A-frame advertising placards.
He also asked that more be done to clear the pathways of sand leading to the ocean so that those who are physically challenged can make it to the beach.
Vicki Miller said blue mats that were placed before beach replenishment were much, much better. “These gravelly paths are always covered in deep sand,” she said.
Fire Station Pump Purchase
On the consent agenda a resolution which authorized participation in the Houston-Galveston Area Council “H-GAC” of Governmental National Cooperative Purchasing Program for a contract acquisition of a Spartan 4 X 4 1500 GPM pumper for use by the fire department. The amount of this purchase is $535,845.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.
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