REHOBOTH POLICE BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR RE-OPEN DELAWARE EVENT

The Rehoboth Beach Police Department has received numerous inquiries in regards to the Re-Open Delaware event planned for May 16th, 2020. Our agency is diligently engaged in strategic planning with our partners in the law enforcement community, to include the office of the Attorney General, to develop a plan of action to ensurepublic safety throughout this Saturday’s event. As these plans are developed any information essential to the assurance of public safety will be provided to media for dissemination. We ask for your patience during this planning process.

The Rehoboth Beach Police Department understands that we are in the midst of period of frustration and that our citizens and visitors want to express those frustrations. One of the primary missions of the Rehoboth Beach Police Department is to uphold the Constitutions of the State of Delaware and the United States of America to include the right of its citizens to exercise free speech. Our agency, in unison with our partners in law enforcement, will take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance, as well as, compliance with local and state laws and the Executive Orders of the Governor and Mayor of Rehoboth Beach. If necessary, compliance will be assured through various means from a verbal warning, to the issuance a civil violation, to a full-custody criminal arrest determined by the actions of the violator.

Our mission is to ensure that we provide participants a safe, orderly platform from which they can be heard; however, we cannot and will not turn a blind eye to clear violations of the law, whether they be civil or criminal. We ask that those who plan to attend the event take advantage of their right to speak in an orderly manner compliant with local and state laws and not detract from their opportunity to deliver a clear message by participating in act of disobedience open for interpretation.

Additionally, we ask that each person attending the event, regardless of their personal beliefs, please respect the other members of the community by adhering to the mandates established by the current State of Emergency regarding social distancing and the use of face masks. The health and safety of the residents and visitors of Rehoboth Beach is our paramount concern. We believe a show of courtesy towards each other, regardless of the issues at hand, is a strong display of public accountability for all to see.

The Rehoboth Beach Police Department would like to thank all of its partners statewide who have worked meticulously with our agency and graciously dedicated numerous resources to ensuring the safety of our citizens and visitors on May 16th, 2020.