OCEAN CITY — After taking heavy criticism. during the public comment period of Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, the town’s elected officials talked tough and promised bold action on the crime situation that has evolved over the last couple of weeks.
In the span of about 10 days beginning last weekend, there have been at least two stabbings and several major altercations on the Boardwalk including a major fight last Wednesday that resulted in the severe beating of a young man. Over the weekend, the incidents intensified with more significant altercations and packs of young people running wild on the Boardwalk and on downtown streets. The incidents reached a crescendo on Friday night when law enforcement was forced to utilize a tear gas-like substance to break up the unruly crowds.
As expected, numerous citizens called in, emailed in or responded via chat during the virtual Mayor and Council meeting on Zoom and the comments were fairly consistent. Those who commented voiced frustration with the current situation and demanded immediate action for fixing it. All agreed the Ocean City Police Department and emergency services had their hands full and were doing the best they could under the circumstances, but each demanded more.
There was some talk of forming a task force to address some of the issues with early to mid-June, and that will likely happen, but the public asked for and demanded more immediate action. The idea of some sort of a curfew got a little traction, but it’s viewed as not something that can be done immediately.
Instead, the short-term plan is to evaluate resources and better direct them at the problem with increased deployments and more assistance from outside agencies. In addition, the Mayor and Council agreed to have extra meetings scheduled to specifically address the issues related to June and the lawlessness that has been seen over the last few weeks.
“We share those concerns,” said Mayor Rick Meehan. “We’re caught in a perfect storm this year for a variety of reasons. We could talk all night about the reasons, but we really need to talk about solutions. It’s ugly out there, we all agree. We expected June, but we didn’t expect June on steroids.”
Meehan said it was time to find a way to get the OCPD the manpower it needs for particularly challenging times such as the last two weeks and during other sanctioned and unsanctioned events.
“The chief has repeatedly asked us for more officers and we need to think about granting that,” he said. “If there are budget concerns, we can address that.”
Again, the issue of a curfew of some sort was referenced although that is not an immediately available solution, according to the mayor.
“There’s been a lot of talk about a curfew and that is something we should consider,” he said. “That won’t work for this year because there are things to work through, but it should be considered for next year.”
The bottom line is, to a person, the Mayor and Council promised decisive and swift action on those steps that can be taken immediately.
“No more lip service,” said Meehan. “We need to take action and we need to back it up. It’s ugly and it’s time to recognize June is not going to get any better. No more lip service.”
Councilman Matt James praised the efforts of the OCPD and its allied partners, but said it is not enough and bolder action was required.
“The police department is doing a great job and the allied agencies have been helpful, but it’s still not enough,” he said. “I’ve been up there the last five nights and I can’t believe what I’ve seen up there. Something has to be done. Our constituents deserve better and I’m not going to let this one just slide away.”
Typically soft spoken OCPD Chief Ross Buzzuro outlined some of his team’s efforts and also promised bold action.
“I’m a perennial optimist and I believe we will get through this challenge, but perception is reality,” he said. “We can arrest and arrest and arrest and work 12 to 15-hour days if we have to, but we won’t be able to arrest our way out of this. We know our capabilities and we are doing the best we can, but this is on my watch. We will never retreat and we’re not going to back down. We are not going to give up.”
Councilman John Gehrig compared the situation to a gaping wound for which band-aids might not suffice this time.
“It’s like we have a gaping wound on our arm and simply saying we need more police is like throwing more bandages on it,” he said. “We might need surgery. Heck, we might need to amputate that arm. We need bold action and our job is to implement those actions. We might need to go two steps back before we go 50 steps forward.”
Gehrig said he shared the concern and frustration of those who weighed in.
“I’m pissed too,” he said. “We should all be pissed. None of us wants this. We live here too. This isn’t our fault, but we’re elected to fix it. June needs to be addressed immediately. We can’t wait another 11 months to figure this out.”
Councilman Tony DeLuca said the issue was about accountability.
“I take accountability seriously,” he said. “We owe you answers and legislation is not going to fix this. I believe in taking next steps and I’m requesting the city manager and the council president schedule meetings as soon as possible.”
