The Virginian-Pilot
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VIRGINIA BEACH
Probably none of the visitors packing Oceanfront hotels has spent more time planning for the weekend than police Capt. Tony Zucaro. And none likely will spend as much time planning for next year’s summer vacation, either.
As commanding officer of the Second Precinct, which includes the Oceanfront in its 36 square miles, Zucaro began sorting public safety details last September to prepare for the legions of visitors who converged on the resort this summer.
Next week, he’ll start the process again by evaluating operations, arrests and other data to see which efforts need adjustment for next year.
“We craft an overarching plan for the whole summer operation,” Zucaro said, “and then flex it and modify it according to the holiday weekend or special event.”
Police boosted security at the Oceanfront this summer by reassigning 13 officers, including school resource officers, from other sections of the city. A few have returned in preparation for the first day of school on Tuesday, Zucaro said.
Meanwhile, officers from other department divisions have pulled duty on Friday and Saturday nights, he said. This weekend, “significant staffing” will be in place during Sunday’s Rock n’ Roll half-marathon, and additional officers will work at night, Zucaro said.
Staffing, however, won’t be as heavy as during the Fourth of July weekend, he said. He declined to provide specific numbers. The additional officers will join others patrolling the resort and monitoring video from 19 strategically placed cameras recording visitors and beachgoers.
Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com
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It baffles me. .
Why people even come down here. Draconian drinking laws such as tickets for open containers?? It's just sad. A majority of the cops here are just rednecks who couldn't get dates in high-school and take it out on the public at large. One time I had one of the VB's finest pull me to say it "didn't appear your brake lights was coming on. . ." Totally unjustified, he wanted to see if I'd been drinking. What a joke.
Agreed
I've lived in Va Beach for about nine years, and I don't waste my time with the oceanfront any longer. Funny thing: when I first moved here, I heard long-time residents say the same thing, and I couldn't understand that. Time teaches.
Going to the oceanfront is a miserable experience usually. Officers with horses crapping all over the place, officers kicking sand up on beachgoers with their toy 4 wheelers, officers on motorcycles blowing past you on Atl and Pac Ave going to the latest urinating in public "emergency", officers barking at people on the boardwalk to ride bikes here, skateboards there, etc, officers lined up in their colorful little cars to fish for DUIs at the end of the evenings, officers too arrogant (or too ignorant) to actually help people when asked for directions or location of a phone, officers driving their little cars like racecars in residential neighborhoods, and the list goes on make for a very UNFRIENDLY, Nazi-like place to be on holiday weekends, even on non holiday weekends during the summer.
You can have it; I'll be heading to NC tomorrow. Protect and serve was forgotten by the VBPD long ago. Don't believe me? Drop into the strip this week
Visitors
Well it's well known that the police are out numbered at the ocean front and that a good number of the vistors are hard working people here with their family or friends looking to having one last week of having fun at the beach. But also here are those who need to be or have been on the Jerry Springer show or have made at least one taping of COPS. We have people who are here to have fun their way and they just hate having a cop tell them they can't urinate in public where the public can see them. They hate when they can't turn the volume on their radio up to the top notch and your glass is your car are about to crack. They don't like being told what to do and they have no problem with fighting with police. In 99.0% of the time if you do what the police ask you to do or not to do you have no problem. Police officers get injuried more at this time of the year by idiots coming down to the ocean front and getting drunk. But when you're a plummer, roofer, wait staff person, doctor, lawyer, store manager, or any other job you don't see the real picture until you put on that uniform and work out there for a summer of two.
Police presence is both a benefit and a bane
While the majority of our officers are effective and outstanding, there are others to where the power given is taken advantage of. Dominate attitudes and draconian approaches give visitors the fond memories of being pushed around and bullied. The phrase 'to protect and to serve' sometimes gets forgotten.
Virginia Beach Resident
And as usual, us residents will have to avoid the masses at the Beach...can't wait for this weekend to be over...