OCEAN CITY, Md. -- A 4th of July weekend with its fair share of ups and downs was addressed at Monday night's council meeting. During those talks, one official called a county-level decision into question.
The conversations kicked into high gear during the public comment period.
Scott Chismar, who lives in Ocean City, brought up concerns with the police presence on the boardwalk on Saturday night.
"We walked the boardwalk from one end to the other and back, and I got to tell you, I was really disappointed in what I saw from our law enforcement," said Chismar. "You guys[councilmembers] know I've been a huge proponent of everything police related, but our lack of visibility on that night was unconscionable."
On Friday, July 4th, around 9:30 p.m., a group fired a Roman candle firework into a crowd on the boardwalk. A family sitting at a nearby bar captured the ensuing panic on video.
It showed hundreds of people, believing the loud pops to be gunfire, stampeding down the boardwalk.
There was also a non-fatal shooting at the intersection of 28th Street and Philadelphia Avenue in the early morning hours of July 5th.
Councilmember Jake Mitrecic responded with a vote of confidence for the Ocean City Police Department.
"Our police force is doing absolutely everything it can and we will supply them with the tools and everything that we can to make sure that this doesn't happen in the future," said Mitrecic.
He also commended Chief Raymond Austin, who was sworn in on May 5th of this year.
"In my short tenure here on the council, we hired a new police chief," said Mitrecic. "We hired him because he's a no-nonsense man who values the safety and values this community."
Following the hectic weekend, Chief Austin released the following statement:
"Our officers and allied agency partners worked around the clock to keep Ocean City safe during this hectic holiday weekend," said Chief Raymond Austin. "While we did respond to several serious incidents, the quick action of our officers, the support of our regional partners, and the vigilance of our community helped us manage these isolated incidents safely and efficiently. We remain committed to maintaining a strong, visible presence throughout the rest of the summer season."
The Ocean City Police Department also provided a detailed overview of its coverage over the holiday weekend.
According to Ashley Miller, OCPD's Deputy Communications Manager, the department was fully staffed and had officers, Public Safety Aids and command personnel assigned to key areas throughout town.
The Maryland State Highway Administration and the Worcester County Sheriff's Office provided support. Miller said officers focused on impaired driving enforcement, bicycle and e-scooter regulation, and pedestrian safety initiatives.
Still, all of that work was called into question on Monday night, prompting Mitrecic to mention a county-level funding decision from March.
"I'd like to remind you that you should contact your county commissioner. They denied a request for us for one million dollars towards our police department, it's money that would be well spent," said Mitrecic.
In what he told WBOC was a tongue-in-cheek comment, Mitrecic called out commissioners Chip Bertino, Caryn Abbott, Madison Bunting and Commission President Ted Elder, all of whom made up the majority vote to deny Ocean City's request.
We spoke with Elder on Tuesday, and he said he doesn't regret his decision.
"I really sympathize with the people of Ocean City and what they had to go through there over the weekend, but, if we had approved it, they wouldn't of even had the check yet," said Elder. "So, it would've made absolutely no difference."
He also said Ocean City should direct any anger elsewhere.
"Maybe they need to look at the state, who forced them to remove all the summer help that they had," said Elder.
Ocean City councilmembers told WBOC they are still gathering all the facts from this past weekend and are formulating a plan. Officials believe it is important to deliver a clear and unified message.