WILDWOOD – The entire Wildwood Police Department was on the job Memorial Day weekend, resulting in hundreds of arrests and underage drinking summonses on the weekend that annually draws high school seniors.
Wildwood police made 224 arrests from 7 a.m. May 25 through 7 p.m. May 29. Adults were 191 of those arrested, and the remaining 33 were juveniles.
Although Memorial Day weekends generally exceed other weekends in criminal violations, Lt. John Clemens said underage drinking and violence during the holiday weekend have decreased since he started in the department in 1990.
“I’ve seen the worst of them back in the day,” he said.
On past Memorial Day weekends, he said, the police department heard several complaints about underage drinking on Wildwood’s beaches, but the department didn’t have the “manpower” to add patrols to the beach.
“The more officers we have out there, the more arrests there’s going to be because we can see more violations occur,” Clemens said.
This year, the department staffed the beach with both seasonal and full-time officers as opposed to just seasonal officers, and 183 underage drinking local ordinance summonses were issued.
“Right now, we’re pretty fortunate we have the officers to handle these situations,” Clemens said.
No visible border draws the line between Wildwood and North Wildwood beaches, so violations spill over into both municipalities, Clemens said.
Underage Possession Impact
A ticket for underage possession or consumption of alcohol carries a fine of $500-$1,000, and in rare cases, a term of up to six months in prison.
Because underage drinking is a criminal offense, it appears on the violator’s permanent record, visible to employers and colleges.
Out-of-town high school seniors of all generations have spent senior weeks drinking in Wildwood on Memorial Day weekend as a “rite of passage,” Clemens said, indicating that it is not a new problem.
Former Weekends
On Memorial Day Weekend 2015, Wildwood Police made 245 arrests: 186 adults and 59 juveniles, which were 26 more juveniles than were arrested this year.
Much of the reason for fewer juvenile arrests this past Memorial Day weekend was a stronger police presence on the Wildwood Boardwalk, Clemens said. When fewer police are visible, more fights break out. However, when the police patrol the boardwalk, fights seldom happen.
Visible Deterrent
“(Police on the boardwalk) seemed to be a deterrent, because we didn’t have – to my knowledge – any reported fights,” Clemens said. “Usually, it’s ‘fight night’ up there.”
Proactive Approach
Wildwood police are aiming for proactive policing over reactive policing, Clemens said, which can be the difference between catching a crime in the act and addressing it after it happens.
To police proactively, the department staffs the city, beach, and boardwalk accordingly on major weekends.
“Our focus on community policing is working,” stated Wildwood Chief of Police Robert Regalbuto. “Changes we have made in the department over the past years to make Wildwood crime-free are paying off.
“We will continue our strong stance on making Wildwood a safe community to visit and live, and we will aggressively enforce laws to protect our community.”
To contact Taylor Henry, email thenry@cmcherald.com.
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