Newport readies for the Fourth

June Casagrande

WEST NEWPORT BEACH -- Anyone planning to get drunk on the beach, set

off some fireworks and maybe hold a party in a vacant house this Fourth

of July should think again.

Police will be ready.

This year’s campaign to curb Fourth of July crime and nuisances

includes a huge police presence, street closures and neighbors who are

better prepared than ever.

“We get a little smarter every year, and we figure out innovative ways

to deal with problems,” Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said.

For example, in addition to the increased police presence and street

closures, officials this year have also been working with area landlords

to compile lists of vacant properties.

“This allows us to take legal action in cases where somebody’s

occupying a property they don’t have permission to be in, which happens

frequently,” Shulman said.

Last year, police made 190 arrests in the area during the Fourth of

July holiday -- a slight increase from 2000 that police say is because 20

more officers were making arrests. Most of the violations were for public

drunkenness and underage drinking. There was a case of assault with a

deadly weapon, one charge of battery with a deadly weapon and four cases

of battery against a police officer. Police also hand out well more than

1,000 citations each year for lesser offenses, including fireworks

possession. All fireworks, including sparklers, are forbidden.

“We would like Newport Beach to be a safe place during the Fourth of

July, and it hasn’t been in the past,” said Margie Dorney, head of the

West Newport Beach July 4th Task Force, which is affiliated with the West

Newport Beach Assn. “It’s been a place where people get harassed.”

About 200 officers will be on patrol throughout the holiday, including

extra help from the California Highway Patrol and the Orange County

Sheriff’s Department. Officers will be stationed on every block, and

about a half-dozen residents have opened their homes to officers as

places to use the restroom and take breaks.

In addition to alcohol and fireworks violations, the holiday also

brings such problems as property destruction, violence, littering,

excessive noise, trespassing, public urination, drunk driving and

building code violations such as rooftop parties bigger than the roofs

can handle.

From noon Thursday to early Friday, a number of streets will be

closed. These include eastbound Balboa Boulevard from Coast Highway to

32nd Street; the 100 blocks from 32nd Street to Prospect Street bordered

by the beach, by West Balboa Boulevard and by Coast Highway; and Seashore

Drive from 36th Street to 51st Street. Parts of Seashore Drive will be

barricaded to limit pedestrian traffic.

Last year, it cost the Police Department $95,000 to patrol West

Newport during the Fourth of July, mostly for the labor costs for police

officers.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .