NJ Attorney General Criticizes Wildwood for Insufficient Beachfront Patrols on Memorial Day

On Friday, New Jersey’s attorney general slammed a Jersey Shore municipality for not having enough police officers patrolling its beachfront during the Memorial Day weekend, when the force was overwhelmed and the walkway was briefly shuttered.

According to Matthew Platkin, Wildwood did not have enough police officers assigned to its boardwalk on Memorial Day weekend Sunday, when the city claims it was besieged with demands for assistance in responding to reports of unruly youths and young adults causing disturbance.

The unrest prompted the city to close the promenade overnight and request assistance from neighboring police units.

Numerous Jersey Shore town officials and police supervisors, as well as the president of the state police union, blame a series of juvenile justice reforms enacted in recent years for emboldening teens and giving them the impression that there is little police can do if they are caught with alcohol or marijuana.

However, during an event to inspect boardwalk games of chance to ensure that they comply with state regulations and provide customers with a fair chance to win, Platkin defended the law and blamed Wildwood, which he claimed has “hired the fewest law enforcement officers this year than they’ve ever hired.”

“I don’t think we had enough law enforcement officers out in Wildwood last weekend, and we’re working to correct that,” he stated.

Wildwood officials did not answer a question about how many officers were deployed to the boardwalk last weekend. However, according to a statement, additional cops will join the force in the coming days.

“Every police department is shorthanded today,” Wildwood Public Safety Commissioner Steve Mikulski stated. “Young men and women are not enrolling in the police or fire school as they used to. We now have personnel completing the police academy who will join us in June. “This is the same timeline every year.”

Ocean City experienced its second consecutive year of disruptions over Memorial Day weekend, including the stabbing of a 15-year-old teenager who is recovering from non-life-threatening wounds in an unresolved case.

In a statement to citizens posted on the city’s website Friday, Mayor Jay Gillian stated that Ocean City police arrested 23 teenagers for fights, stealing, and other offenses. Officers gave over 1,300 warnings for drinking, drugs, curfew, and other offenses.

“The teens involved in these fights were known to each other, and came to Ocean City with the intent of causing harm to each other,” Gillian stated. “That behavior will not be tolerated, and our police department is fully prepared to address it.”

Critics blame juvenile justice reforms, which set a number of limits on police officers’ interactions with minors in order to keep them out of court. In January, the statute was amended to remove some of the punishment threats for cops dealing with children suspected of carrying alcohol or drugs.

Platkin stated Friday that nothing in the law stops police from arresting minors involved in violent incidents.

“I understand that when you experience a frustrating incident, you want to find someone to blame. But there is no state regulation that precludes law enforcement officers from performing their duties,” he stated. “The law isn’t the main issue. We need to make sure we have the right people in place and trained, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”