For Beach officer, planning vacation a year-round job

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 2nd 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 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.

Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com