BETHANY BEACH, DE -- The Bethany Beach Police Department is putting preventative measures in place to ensure safety and order ahead of July 4th celebrations. This comes after a group of 300+ teenagers created chaos on the town’s beach and boardwalk last year.
During the incident last year, some teens lit dangerous fireworks that left people injured and two people got into a physical fight. The incident resulted in three arrests.
This year, police say they are ramping up enforcement.
"Every officer will be working 4th of July day and night," says Bethany Beach Police Chief Patrick Foley. "We will use mutual aid with neighboring agencies, as well as the State Police to come here and assist us."
Last year's incident prompted officers to remind parents and teens of the town's 11pm curfew for kids under 18. Chief Foley says the curfew has proven to be effective over the past year and will be enforced during holiday celebrations this year.
"There's going to be a heavy police presence up here with that, and we'll hope that everybody abides to it or else arrests will be made," says Foley. "We're going to have zero tolerance."
Foley adds that police should not be the only ones enforcing good behavior, a statement many other people agree with.
"I think that parents need to take control and be accountable for their kids' behavior," says Bethany Beach business owner Sandy McNicholas.