Hermosa Beach residents got a stern warning in the mail on April 18 from interim Chief of Police Steve Johnson about new Fourth of July policies.
“I am writing to ask for your help in protecting the public’s safety and the rights of all the city’s property owners and residents on the Fourth of July,” Johnson wrote. “As you may know, this holiday draws large crowds to Hermosa Beach, and the city has become a favorite destination for boisterous parties that can cause disturbances and impact public safety.”
He went on to explain that this year, the city is asking everyone to work together to make it a happy and safe holiday.
According to Johnson, last year the HBPD responded to 244 incidents, a leap from the 2008 – 2012 average of 180. Additionally they responded to 31 emergency incidents.
“We ran out of jail space,” said Johnson at an earlier council meeting, citing the 18 drunk in public arrests made throughout the day. “We had to let some people out early because we had some people in a worse state, some were sobering up while some were more heavily intoxicated.”
In mid-February the city council, with recommendations from the Hermosa Beach Police Department, voted to increase police presence on the summer holiday. They decided to add two paramedic ambulances along with additional fire engines, an emergency medical technician, and an additional command vehicle. They will also staff 25 additional L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputies including horse-mounted officers. They will also park a large bus and van near the beach to hold unruly partiers and cut down on prisoner transportation time.
“Our goal is not to arrest people, but to make sure we have a safe and secure beach and July 4,” Johnson said at the February meeting.
According to the letter, police presence in Hermosa Beach will be increased after 10 a.m. to accommodate the influx of people coming to the beach to celebrate the holiday. The police will also focus on enforcing public intoxication, driving under the influence, underage drinking and drinking on the beach. Violators could possibly be arrested and incur fines up to $20,000.
“If you host a party at your home, please keep noise levels low and the party on your property – don’t let it extend onto the beach or other public property,” the letter warned. “If you are a property owner and rent your house to others, please urge them to take the same precautions because you may be held responsible for their actions.”
The city will also invoke a code that could trigger sizable fines on property owners, whether or not they are present at the time the police arrive.
“If the police receive complaints about noise or other problems at the property that result in more than one response to the property on July 4, they will charge the property owner for the cost of that or successive police responses,” Johnson wrote in the letter.
Because short-term rentals of less than 30-days are not allowed in Hermosa Beach, the council announced in February that the city may consider some changes in the future that allow and regulate short-term rentals. But the letter warned that the city will be closely watching the number of complaints about rental properties on the holiday.
“The mentality of holiday revelers must change, from seeing Hermosa as a ‘place where you can party hard’ to ‘a wonderful place to enjoy July 4 as long as you come here respectfully,’” said Johnson.
Police will also be monitoring social media such as Twitter and Facebook to pinpoint large parties and detour underage drinking. ER
