Safety worries in Long Beach mean more weekend patrols

Long Beach police will increase weekend beach and boardwalk patrols, the city police commissioner said Monday, in response to fights, increased crowds and separate attacks.

During a news conference on the boardwalk, Police Commissioner Ron Walsh said the two attacks, including the most recent Saturday, occurred at night on the boardwalk near Edwards Boulevard.

Along with police patrolling the beach on foot, officers will be on ATVs and bicycles Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights through the summer, Walsh said, adding that the police department builds “its presence … as the summer increases.” If crowds build up, the police commissioner said, police will respond accordingly.

Multiple  videos of the Saturday attack were posted to social media, Walsh said.

“We’re actively identifying the kids that had any role in the incidents and we do foresee being able to successfully conclude the investigation,” Walsh said. 

On Saturday, Walsh said, a 17-year-old boy from Long Beach High School recognized a group of fellow students who approached him. Members of the group then struck him before and after he fell to the ground, leaving him with minor abrasions, Walsh said.

On May 21, Walsh said, a large fight was called in but when police arrived, everyone left and no victims were reported. On May 30, another 17-year-old Long Beach boy reported to police that a student from Long Beach High School tried to punch him but the victim ran away. The boy told police the other teenager caught up and struck him several times before others intervened.

Neither victim was hospitalized in the attacks.

Jennifer Gallaher, Long Beach schools superintendent, said the district is in touch with the police department “constantly.”

“Our barrier island is one community and we need to work together to prevent the kind of incidents that have happened over the past few weeks,” Gallagher said.

Last July, the city increased its patrols following a gathering that saw 2,500 beach visitors from Long Island and New York City, officials said.

Like last summer, Walsh said, the City of Long Beach will coordinate with Nassau County police and State Police as well as the MTA police.

In 2020, Long Beach imposed an 8 p.m. curfew on the beach and a 9 p.m. curfew on the boardwalk following similar large parties and COVID-19 protocols being disregarded.

“This [the boardwalk] is a main thoroughfare that people traverse this city from east to west at all times of the day and night,” Walsh said. “I’m not really akin to or looking to shut it down as safe passage for people.”

Not everyone is satisfied with the efforts done by the police.

Brian Braddish, owner of the boardwalk restaurant Riptides, spoke with the police commissioner on Sunday and said, “nothing came out of it.” The incident on Saturday happened right outside his establishment.

  "We need a police presence to the Long Beach boardwalk not just during the nighttime, [but also during] the daytime,” Braddish said.