THE LATEST: Councilmember Diane Harkey called this week for tough enforcement on the city’s loitering policy as the tourist season approaches. In her regular report at the City Council meeting April 1 she spoke out about visitors parking campers overnight on public streets. “It happens almost every summer, like clockwork,” she said.
Her request did not fall on deaf ears. Dana Point Chief of Police Mark Levy attends City Council meetings regularly and promised to put more deputies on the streets this summer. “Every summer the population in Dana Point swells from 36,000 to 136,000” on some days, like the Doheny Blues Festival, he said. “It’s not just a slogan, we are a destination town. We’re very, very careful to keep people where they should be.”
Levy said the crowds that come in aren’t typically unruly, but sometimes visitors fall victim to individuals looking to make a quick car burglary of an unsuspecting tourist. “The crowds come for the beach and become potential victims,” he said.
More deputies means increased bicycle patrol, especially on weekends when the weather is nice or during special events. Levy also said the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be aiding lifeguards along the Dana Point coastline with patrols.
WHAT’S NEXT: Expect a greater deputy presence on Dana Point streets as the city nears the summer months.
FIND OUT MORE: www.danapoint.org
—NW
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