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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

OC Police Stressing Smoking Education, But Also Now Issuing Citations For Violations On Boardwalk

OCEAN CITY — As promised, the Ocean City Police Department has been writing more citations for violations of the smoking ban on the Boardwalk, but education and outreach remain the enforcement technique of choice for the most part.

The Police Commission on Monday got an update on the enforcement efforts of the smoking ban on the beach and Boardwalk implemented last year. During the first year of the smoking ban, town officials and the OCPD instituted a grace period of sorts during which the public would be educated about the changes. For the most part, officers would point to the smoking prohibition signs and instruct smokers to snub out their cigarettes and move on in an attempt to slowly indoctrinate the changes in the ordinance.

This year, however, the Mayor and Council instructed the OCPD to step up enforcement and begin to write citations and the department has complied for the most part. Just three smoking citations were issued in June and July on the Boardwalk last year. This year, 12 citations were issued for smoking on the Boardwalk in June and four more have been issued thus far in July.

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can we get the police to ticket the "entitled" smokers who throw their butts out onto the streets and everywhere else they deem trash worthy ...which is everywhere???

Anonymous said...

Now they have moved to the side streets and you have to walk through the smoking drug addicts to get back and forth between the boardwalk and downtown. They should be using their smoking stations on the beach.

Anonymous said...

This is nothing more than political hot air. I was on the boardwalk this past weekend with my grandson across from the fishing pier. A young man sat next to me and lit up. Two bike mounted OC cops rode by him and never as much as gave a glance. This is nothing more than a convenient excuse to stop who they want when they want.

Anonymous said...

New ordinance says some may go to jail if caught twice in 24hrs! Some crime! Pathetic!

Anonymous said...

And come September (when school is back and after bike week) all the whining will stop, until next May (car week).

Vicious "cycle" with the same issues. "huffing/puffing" every year, pretty much the same time of year...then "poof", gone into thin air once the season ends.

Sad.

Anonymous said...

They should be writing at least 12 tickets a day.

Anonymous said...

1:24 you are so right. Just like the old broken tail light excuse to stop people.