The Hermosa Beach Police Department will be conducting heightened enforcement of alcohol-related laws for the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend.
More than 50 deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies will augment HBPD officers, all of whom will be on duty for the Monday holiday. The city will deploy officers on horses along the beach, and will also make use of a prisoner van to transport those arrested to local jails.
The added help from the sheriff’s department costs the city about $70,000 for the weekend.
Pursuant to the city’s Safety Enhancement ordinance, the holiday weekend will see boosted penalties for consuming alcohol on in public, including on the beach and on the city’s pier. Such offenses are typically infractions, but violations occurring between 8 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Tuesday will constitute a misdemeanor, city officials said.
Additionally, under the city’s recently approved Social Host Ordinance, parents may be liable for parties thrown at their residence. A first offense under the new law is $2500, doubling with subsequent violations.
The heightened enforcement is a continuation of efforts in previous years to tamp down on the raucous party atmosphere that the holiday brings to the city. Both citations and bookings have significantly declined over the last few years: while 2013 saw 111 citations and 23 arrests, only 26 citations and eight bookings occurred on Independence Day last year.
