By Donald Wittkowski
Sea Isle City officials are promising more measures to crack down on rowdy teenagers who have been keeping police busy this summer in a beach town that has a reputation as a family-friendly vacation destination.
In perhaps the most stringent step under consideration, Councilman Frank Edwardi wants to roll back the city’s longstanding 10 p.m. beach curfew by an hour to keep teenagers from getting into trouble after dark.
"I don't think kids should be on the beach at 10 o'clock at night," Edwardi said at a City Council meeting Tuesday, when he announced his desire to cut back the curfew to 9 p.m.
Edwardi said groups of teenagers hanging out on the beach late at night simply "can't be good."
The city’s 10 p.m. beach curfew applies to people of all ages. Although Edwardi singled out unruly juveniles as his motivation for wanting to change the time to 9 p.m., he believes the curfew should continue to cover everyone.
Edwardi also thinks the city should consider increasing the fine for curfew violators as another way to discourage teenagers from congregating on the beaches at night. He said the current fine of $110 is too low to serve as a deterrent.
In an interview after Tuesday's meeting, Edwardi said he would like to introduce an ordinance to change the beach curfew and fine, but must first discuss the issue with the four other Council members to see if they would support it.
Police Chief Tom D'Intino isn't ready to commit to supporting an earlier curfew. He said the Police Department will study the issue, as well as other anti-crime measures, before deciding whether to tweak its own operations or go to Council to seek possible changes in the law.
"I'm not saying that I'm in favor of it," D'Intino said of the possibility of an earlier curfew. "I need to see if we've ever had that much of a problem."
D'Intino noted that the 10 p.m. beach curfew has been in effect for at least as long as the 27 years he has been on the Police Department.
Prompted by an outbreak of curfew violations, underage drinking and other disorderly conduct by teenagers and young adults this summer, the city has begun a "zero tolerance" enforcement program.
Police have been concentrating their anti-crime efforts on the beaches, the Promenade and the central part of town, all popular gathering spots for local residents and tourists
Last month, Councilwoman Mary Tighe wondered whether Sea Isle's family-friendly image is being harmed by the unruly behavior. She said this summer seems particularly bad.
"The perception is out there that Sea Isle is not a safe place, but it is," Tighe said in an interview following the July 26 Council meeting.
Tighe and other city officials are calling the crackdown a success, praising police for keeping things under control following a rash of disorderly conduct over the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends.
"It's not half as bad as it was," Edwardi said.
So far, police have increased their patrols, enlisted the help of the Cape May County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit and set up a substation at 40th Street and the Promenade to hold juvenile offenders until their parents can pick them up.
Business Administrator George Savastano said the city is working on additional enforcement measures as part of a pilot program to "make sure everybody has a good time and is safe." He did not divulge details.
"Things in Sea Isle are good, and I'll leave it at that," Savastano told Council.
In the meantime, the city is preparing to improve the lighting along the busiest parts of the Promenade. The areas include the Promenade's hub at John F. Kennedy Boulevard and between 35th and 45th streets, Savastano said.
Edwardi characterized the upgraded lighting as a crucial crime-fighting component. During a Council meeting last month, he complained about some parts of the Promenade having burned-out streetlights and being too dark. The city's plan for enhanced lighting is in response to his concerns.
The city's capital plan includes $500,000 for better lighting along the entire Promenade over the next two years. However, the city is taking quicker action to brighten up the most popular sections of the Promenade, Savastano explained.
A design contract for the Promenade lights is expected to come before Council for approval as early as next month, Savastano said.
