This Fourth of July proved smooth sailing at beaches in Dennis and Falmouth, two Cape Cod towns plagued with unruly crowds along the coast in years past.
That changed at least this year, with Dennis Police Chief John Brady and Town Administrator Elizabeth Sullivan calling Thursday’s holiday a “tremendous success.” Falmouth Police Chief Jeffrey A. Lourie, in a social media post, also described a mostly peaceful atmosphere at beaches in his town.
The positive reviews come after Dennis and Falmouth both instituted measures to curb the “unsafe and dangerous conduct” that resulted in a massive increase in calls for emergency services, and the beaches left an “utter disaster with litter, alcohol containers and broken glass.”
With no “major incidents” at Dennis’ three beaches, Mayflower, Chapin Memorial, and Bayview, local police made no arrests during the holiday, Brady and Sullivan said in a statement.
They attributed the positive, cheerful day to the restrictions – no daily parking passes sold or accepted, a parking ban in nearby neighborhoods and at adjacent businesses, and zero tolerance for alcohol, drugs, and overly loud music.
Over the last three years, Dennis Police reported a dramatic spike in unsafe and dangerous conduct, fighting, assaults, vandalism, binge drinking, drug use, loud music, and other concerning behavior.
Partying beachgoers at Mayflower trashed the beach last Fourth of July, as police made a number of arrests and seized large amounts of alcohol.
“While they were all full yesterday, the atmosphere and spirit at the beaches were markedly different than in years past,” Brady and Sullivan wrote. “We saw a refreshing return to the family-friendly and welcoming atmosphere Dennis beaches are known for.”
Last year in Falmouth, Lourie blasted “large groups of teenagers” who gathered at town beaches and for acting “disrespectful and rude,” including some “using profanity and taunting officers.”
Other unruly behavior included “widespread evidence of underage drinking,” fireworks being shot off in the air and at each other “in the middle of the chaos,” and a resident of North Falmouth reporting a can of beer thrown at a front window, smashing it and nearly missing a person in the home.
Falmouth Police arrested some on charges of minors in possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, disturbing the peace, and failing to identify.
“Public Service Announcement: Due to last year’s unacceptable criminal activity/behavior there are plain clothes officers out at the beaches all week,” Falmouth Police posted in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “There will also be a heavy uniformed officer presence at Town beaches at select times to ensure public safety. All bags/coolers are subject to search. There will be a ZERO tolerance policy for consuming alcohol/marijuana in public and any disorderly conduct.”
The measures made a difference, Lourie wrote in a post on Friday.
“I am pleased to inform you that there was NO property damage reported, littering or out of control issues on our beaches or neighborhoods,” he wrote. “We did make a handful of arrests yesterday but there were no major issues like dealt with last year.”
