VIRGINIA BEACH — Online posts hyping unsanctioned beach parties this spring are already popping up on social media, much to the chagrin of Paul Neudigate.
The police chief has been seeking more authority to rein in unruly crowds. But legislation that would have granted police departments more enforcement authority won’t advance out of the General Assembly this year. He’s hoping that an earlier city curfew for unaccompanied juveniles will help.
One of the events promoted online is dubbed “College Beach Week 2K26” and touts club events and a pool party April 9-12. Similar posts were circulating last June, and the police department sent cease and desist letters to promoters they could locate.
“The struggle that we have is whether this materializes or not, we have to posture up for it because if we don’t, and we have 4,000 or 5,000 individuals show up, and we’re not prepared to handle that, then we’re going to have some significant issues at the Oceanfront,” Neudigate said during a crime briefing last week.
The chief succeeded last year in persuading the City Council to support state legislation that would have given his department new enforcement tools for “pop-up” events. But on Friday, a House of Delegates committee decided to continue the bill to next year.
The legislation, carried by Del. Virgil Thornton, D-Hampton, would have authorized a locality to establish temporary enhanced enforcement zones in which firearms are prohibited, traffic fines can be increased, speed limits lowered, occupancy limits could be enforced, and juvenile curfews could be enforced. It would also allow a locality to recover all relevant costs and fees incurred from the designation and enforcement of the zone directly from event organizers.
Del. Dan Helmer, chair of the House Counties, Cities & Towns Committee, said he consulted with Thornton about the bill.
“We’ve still got some work to do,” said Helmer, a Fairfax County Democrat.
Thornton could not be reached in time for deadline Monday.
Before the committee punted on the bill, Neudigate said an earlier curfew, which can be set at the city level, could help in the meantime. Neudigate said “carloads” of teens are dropped off in the resort area, leading to police officers becoming “babysitters.”
“We’re worried about their safety,” he said. “If we have these large crowds and incidents of gun fire and gun violence, we don’t want them becoming a victim.”
The chief wants to lower Virginia Beach’s juvenile curfew from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., with some exceptions. The City Council is scheduled to vote on it soon.
The police department also was recently authorized to enforce trespassing violations on private property with the property owner’s permission. The department plans to partner with Parks and Recreation to enforce curfew for juveniles ages 12-14, primarily on Friday and Saturday nights, the chief said.
Personnel from the Sheriff’s Office would transport them to recreation centers where they could be picked up by a parent or guardian. The Police Department is working with Parks and Recreation to schedule programming for the teens.
There are curfew exemptions for unaccompanied minors, including emergency errands, lawful employment, attendance at specified engagement, religious services or participation in any assembly or expressive activity protected by the First Amendment and interstate travel through, beginning or terminating in Virginia Beach.
In addition to Virginia Beach, Hampton and Chesapeake also supported creating the “pop-up event” legislation.
Several resort cities along the East Coast have been cracking down on spring break crowds. Among the measures have been increasing parking rates and towing fines, which drew backlash from Miami‘s business community.
The chief has cited events that unfolded during College Beach Weekend last year, when police made 53 arrests, filed over 200 charges, and confiscated 28 firearms while responding to multiple “chaotic stampedes triggered by fears of gunfire.” Most of those arrested were men in their early 20s or teenagers from Hampton Roads, according to police.
“When the weather changes, we get a lot of crowd, right?,” said City Manager Patrick Duhaney said at last week’s council meeting. “And sometimes we get unpermitted, unsanctioned events. And last year, we had several incidents that led to a lot of community concerns, media coverage and also some business stakeholder concern.”
College Beach Weekend is an informal and unstructured event, usually at the end of April, when students from nearby historically Black colleges and universities visit the area for a few days before final exams.
Police data has shown that generally, crime reported over College Beach Weekend is similar to what happens during a busy summer holiday weekend. Concern over the weekend led to the founding of the Something in the Water festival. But that event faltered in recent years and this year, a military appreciation event is booked.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com