Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 1, 1990 TAG: 9007010097
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium
"We have individuals down there instigating fights, intentionally bumping into people," one undercover officer said. "We've used some big officers, and these guys still run into them."
Police have made 852 arrests and issued 2,087 summonses at the oceanfront since mid-May, compared with 549 arrests and 1,150 summonses during the same period last year.
Offenses include underage drinking, urinating in public and drunkenness. But 30 arrests have been for picking fights with officers posing as families on vacation or couples on a date.
Most of the arrests have been on weekends, when the oceanfront is jammed with crowds and traffic.
The new police presence is part of the preparation for the Labor Day weekend, which was marred last year by violent clashes between police and crowds of mostly black youths. Last year's violence led to charges of racism and police brutality from black leaders.
Police Chief Charles Wall would not say how many officers are assigned to the beachfront.
"We're trying to really get on the situation before its gets any worse," Wall said. "We're still having problems. But I think folks are getting the idea."
The streets and sidewalks are sometimes so packed that officers can only detect trouble when it's nearby, Wall said.
"It could happen half a block away and you wouldn't know it," he said. "The crowds are so heavy you may not even know it went down."
The city also has formed two new police units called mobile tactical teams. The units patrol side streets near the resort strip and can converge on an area if unruly crowds grow.
Police also have six new motorcycles for maneuverability in heavy crowds.
Business and property owners at the oceanfront have welcomed the police crackdown.
"You have others who say it looks like a police state down there. I don't have any problems with it," said Joseph Hawa, president of the resort retailers association.
by CNB