Photo: Kristy Leibowitz
So much for fun in the sun.
The NYPD is taking aim at Rockaways beachgoers — cracking down on minor infractions such as drinking beer, walking dogs and climbing on rock jetties, The Post has learned.
During the Memorial Day weekend, cops issued 152 “quality-of-life violation” summonses — three times more than the same period last year.
“It sucks! They’re targeting families who are just trying to enjoy themselves at the beach — people who might drink one or two beers in a red cup,” said the manager of a popular Rockaways restaurant, who asked that her name and establishment not be revealed.
“We’ve had cops drive past us on the beach and ask to see what’s in our coolers.”
She added that cops recently ticketed her husband for walking his dog on the beach, against the rules.
“There are a lot of areas around here, where there is real crime. They should put more time into that!”
On the beach, cops have fanned out — some in plain clothes, others on four-wheelers — to catch rule breakers.
They’re slapping swimmers and sunbathers with tickets that include open-container laws, failing to obey park signs, public urination and littering.
In one recent case, a Post reporter saw a man snapping photos on a jetty near Beach 90th Street ticketed for walking on the rocks.
He supposedly failed to obey a park sign — even though vandals changed the sign to read, “Keep…Jetty…Diving.”
Fifteen minutes later, a pair of lovebirds were ticketed for the same offense.
Some people drinking beer nearby were also ticketed during the same 20-minute period on Sunday.
Most of the summonses yield fines in the $50 range — but beachgoers said they would prefer a warning first.
“It’s not fair … I will talk to someone about it,” said the jetty-climbing man.
A police source claimed the spike in tickets was in part due to a much warmer holiday weekend this year than 2013, when there were 50 tickets issued.
No comments:
Post a Comment