Sea Isle Mayor Talks City’s Strategy on Rowdy Teens

SEA ISE CITY – Over recent years, a critical issue has grown as juvenile disturbances have overwhelmed the tranquility of the shore. Up and down the state’s 12​6-mile coastline, towns as diverse in their ambiance and offerings as the vacationers they attract have reported incidences of vandalism, graffiti, harassment and general misbehavior by young people. 
Exacerbating the problem, say municipal officials and police officers, are the 20​20 revisions to state law regarding police interactions with juveniles. The goal of those revisions is to​ avoid blemishing their records for future education and employment.
Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio has been among the most active in his attempt to find solutions to the issue. The matter has led both residents and tourists to say they enjoy their time at the shore less. Some say they fear for their safety and property. 
Desiderio convened a meeting of state and local officials in Feb. 2022 at city hall in Sea Isle, but he is the first to acknowledge that not much came of the discussion. 
At the Aug. 23 city council meeting, Desiderio noted that he had received a call from Gov. Phil Murphy and that he was in contact with his chief of staff about potential solutions at the state level. Still, he said he expects to pursue local measures to solve the problem. 
In an interview with the Herald, the Sea Isle City mayor shared his vision, thoughts, and policy ideas. Desiderio started the conversation by laying out the issue at hand as he sees it.
“Really large groups–and I’m talking about sometimes upwards of 200 young people–are gathering on an almost daily basis in every town along the Jersey Shore,” he said. “Two years ago, when the highest-ranking law enforcement official in New Jersey, the attorney general, amended laws as to how police interact with young people, the pendulum swung away from powers the police used to have to manage these large gatherings.
 “It’s clear the amendments have emboldened juveniles because they have said to us and the police, ‘We know we can get away with this behavior and there’s nothing you can do about it.’,” he continued.
The mayor made clear that not all juveniles are engaging in reckless acts, and that there is no desire for police intervention to damage their good conduct records. However, “the police need more tools to enhance the excellent job–and difficult job–they already are doing,” explained Desiderio. 
“Before the change in law, we had the occasional interaction with juveniles misbehaving. Now, we have literally 3,000 such interactions in a couple of weeks,” he said.
According to Desiderio, the police are involved when juveniles are sitting on private residence railings, creating nuisances like bike riding outside of permissible hours and congregating where and when not allowed, in very large numbers. 
“Another huge problem is underage drinking and carrying alcohol and even marijuana in their always-present backpacks,” the mayor continued.
Desiderio noted that if an adult is cited for carrying an open container of alcohol, they receive a summons to pay a fine and other possible court-mandated repercussions. With a juvenile though, police can only call the parents and hope the issue is taken seriously and resolved within the family. 
The exacerbating circumstances of the state revisions go further.
“We are not allowed to put juveniles in the police interactions system. This means that on a Monday, we deal with their misconduct by maybe giving them a warning. Then, on Tuesday, they move on to a neighboring community for more misconduct, but that town has no idea what happened in Sea Isle.
“Up and down the Jersey Shore, there is no record of what they’ve been doing. Most of the juveniles come from outside our local communities, with the vast majority here for a week as vacationers or staying here with their parents in their second home at the beach,” he continued.
The question everyone has on their minds: how to deal with the problem? Given the handcuffing of traditional police actions, the mayor hopes to create solutions. 
“In the 1990s in Sea Isle we had a huge problem with party houses generating unbelievable noise with sometimes up to 40 people staying in one rental property. It was seriously an out-of-control situation that infringed on residents’ enjoyment and sometimes even safety. It happened that I was in New York City riding in a taxi to a conference when I noticed that every once in a while, we would go through a noise-free zone. Upon further research, I learned that different laws were enacted for these zones with double fines, mandatory court appearances to pay the fines, and judges authorized to mete out community service. By following this model, we got Sea Isle’s problem back to normal. And we can do (something) similar with the juvenile disturbance problem,” concluded Desiderio. 
In addition to noise measures, the mayor also is looking to modify municipal loitering laws with limitations on numbers and locations to congregate; limiting the number of juveniles who enter a store and requiring them to leave their backpacks at the door; and having Sea Isle leverage social media by asking parents, “Do you know where your child is?” in the style of public service announcements on television in the 1970s.  
Desiderio said the city has tried offering alternative activities for young people such as coffee nights with acoustic guitar performances at the local Methodist church, or open mic opportunities at Excursion Park supported by the Chamber of Commerce. 
“These have helped a bit but it’s not really what the kids are looking for. On the other hand, Sea Isle’s very famous basketball league draws huge spectators on game nights so we might try to expand that concept,” he speculated.
The mayor reiterated that it’s just a few juveniles that are creating havoc among the very large groups.
“By next summer, we will have additional measures in place to ensure that all can enjoy our beautiful community. Sea Isle will continue to be proactive so that all our shore towns remain safe and happy places for residents, as well as tourists.”    
Know anything about the crowds of juveniles? Have any ideas for how to handle the problem? Submit a Spout Off, write a letter to the editor or email csailer@cmcherald.com.