By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Declaring that the state has been ignoring pleas for help, Mayor Leonard Desiderio said Sea Isle City may develop new local laws to crack down on rowdy teenagers who have been disrupting the summer tourism season for the second year in a row.
Desiderio, as he has done repeatedly in the past, criticized the state for newly enacted laws that he says have hampered police officers from doing their job while trying to prevent teenagers from getting out of hand.
“Last year, it became apparent that some of the laws and guidelines put into place at the state level were clearly hindering law enforcement agencies from most effectively doing their job,” he said.
Reading from a lengthy prepared statement during a City Council meeting Tuesday, Desiderio outlined plans for Sea Isle to possibly develop its own laws “to swing the pendulum back” in the police’s favor while dealing with groups of disruptive teens. He said the strategy will be unveiled by the end of the year.
“I will not give up the fight in Trenton, and I am charging my administration with doing everything possible to research and determine laws that can help to level the playing field in favor of those who abide by the law and in favor of all of the citizens of Sea Isle City – our residents and visitors alike – who simply want to enjoy their life in peace,” he said.
“I am committing this administration to look into potential legislation and report back before the end of this year on what we can do at the local level to hold those who would do harm to people or property accountable for their actions,” he continued.
Expressing his frustration, Desiderio said representatives from Gov. Phil Murphy’s office and the state Attorney General’s Office have not responded to his appeals – as well as requests from other elected officials along the Jersey Shore – for stronger laws to prevent juvenile crime.
“Unfortunately, the problems we’ve brought to the state’s attention for the past year remain unaddressed,” Desiderio said. “While this is disappointing and poses continuing difficulties for law enforcement, we will not stop our efforts to effect change at the state. That remains an important part of the solution; but we can’t rely on that, so I am proposing that we enact local legislation to provide tools to our police to deal with unacceptable juvenile and adult behavior.”
State laws enacted last year as part of the governor’s juvenile justice reforms put restrictions on police on how far they can go in their interactions with teens. Instead of placing juveniles under arrest or taking them into custody, officers are required to give them “curbside warnings” for minor crimes such as underage drinking or marijuana possession.
Under the reforms, police officers may be arrested themselves if they go beyond those warnings and violate a juvenile’s civil rights.
Desiderio, other elected officials and police chiefs at the shore have complained that rowdy teens have little to fear now of being arrested, which has emboldened them to commit crimes such as theft, vandalism and underage public drinking.
“It’s disgraceful. It has to be dealt with,” City Council President Mary Tighe said of the disruptive teenagers.
Tighe and other members of Sea Isle’s Council expressed support for Desiderio’s plan for tougher local laws to crack down on unruly behavior.
Councilman Frank Edwardi suggested that Sea Isle should increase the fines for juvenile crimes to punish rowdy teens. However, City Solicitor Paul Baldini explained that the state court system likely would not allow higher fines if they were regarded as being excessive.
Desiderio, meanwhile, drew parallels between Sea Isle’s plan to stop rowdy teenage behavior to the city’s campaign 30 years ago to respond to problems with rental units, excessive noise and “unsavory references to the party scene” in town.
“We faced those challenges head on. We created noise free zones; we educated the public; we worked with our neighborhoods; we increased police presence; and we held those who were responsible accountable for their actions,” he said.
Desiderio is hopeful of the same success as Sea Isle looks to prevent groups of teens from further disrupting the summer season. Last year, the city had to deal with an outbreak of vandalism, theft, underage public drinking and vulgar language, especially at night.
Capt. Anthony Garreffi, the officer in charge of Sea Isle’s police department, said there have been similar problems with teenagers this summer.
“We’re doing everything we can,” Garreffi said of the police department’s efforts to contain the rowdiness. “We’re going to come up with a strategy.”
Garreffi also said parents must take more responsibility for their children when they leave the house at night.
“Parents need to know where their children are and what they are doing. They need to be more involved,” he said in an interview after the Council meeting.
During the public portion of the meeting, a few residents told the Council members of their experiences with rowdy teens. They urged the city to act immediately.
“You’re going to have to clean this town up,” Betty Ritchie, a Sea Isle resident for 37 years, demanded of city officials.
Ritchie, who lives on 77th Street, said a lamp post was broken and a neighbor’s garage door was smashed this summer. She also said that a portable toilet was knocked over twice.
“I’ve lived here for 37 years. I don’t need this,” Ritchie told the Council members of the vandalism.
Another resident, Sue Williamson, asked Council whether security video taken from doorbell cameras can be used as evidence to prosecute juveniles who steal from homes or destroy property. Baldini told her that it would depend on the severity of the crime.
In a novel approach, Williamson wondered whether the city could hire an advertising plane to carry a banner that would urge parents to take more responsibility for their teenagers.
She said the banner would get parents to think, “Where are they?”
In the meantime, Desiderio and Garreffi urged the public to immediately call police if they see a crime being committed.
Desiderio also called on the public to support the city’s efforts to have the state Legislature enact tougher laws for juvenile crime.
“I am asking for Council’s support of this initiative, and I’m asking for the public’s support, as well as asking our citizens to contact their state legislators and make it clear to them – enough is enough,” he said.
Click here to read Mayor Leonard Desiderio’s message to City Council in its entirety: https://seaislenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/Mayor-Desiderios-Statement.docx
