In a bid to curb rowdy behavior at its picturesque beaches, a Cape Cod community will tighten beach parking restrictions on July 4, its police department said Wednesday.
Dennis Police Chief John Brady said the Mid Cape town has seen “a dramatic increase in unsafe and dangerous conduct” on its beaches in recent summers, including fights, vandalism, heavy drinking and drug use.
Last July 4, thousands of teenage and college-age beachgoers packed the town’s Mayflower Beach, growing rowdier and more confrontational throughout the day, the police department said last year. Officers confiscated large amounts of alcohol and made multiple arrests before ultimately closing the beach.
The crowd left “an extraordinary amount of trash, which included aluminum cans, towels, clothing, shoes, broken glass, broken coolers, beach chairs, and contraband,” the police department said last year.
This July 4, the town will not accept daily parking passes at Mayflower Beach or Chapin Beach, Brady said in a video posted to the department’s Facebook page. Only cars with weekly or seasonal parking passes will be allowed to park at those beaches.
Police will also ticket and tow cars illegally parked in beachfront neighborhoods.
“There will be zero tolerance for alcohol consumption, drug use, overly loud music and unsafe behavior at the beach on July 4,” Brady said. “Our officers will be out in full force and we will be bringing in additional resources to help with this effort.”
Other Cape Cod towns have weighed various restrictions to limit unruly behavior from crowds during peak summer months.
The town of Wellfleet last year banned alcohol consumption at Cahoon Hollow Beach, the site of the popular Beachcomber bar, restaurant and music venue, after police said they had difficulty managing a dramatic increase in crowds that appeared in recent years.
