Atlantic City council hears beach-safety appeals; police pledge extra officers for July 4 weekend

A visiting safety advocate and a local resident used public comment at the Atlantic City Council meeting on June 18 to press the city on beach-safety measures ahead of the July Fourth holiday, and the police chief pledged added patrols for the busy weekend.

Edward Quigley, who identified himself as a visitor from Richmond, Virginia, told the council he helped develop a national standard for beach-umbrella anchors and urged Atlantic City to post donor-funded warning signs at beach access points. “The standard…takes 75 pounds of resistance to keep it secure in the sand when there’s a 30 mile per hour wind,” Quigley said, explaining the science behind the ASTM-based tests used by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. He said his group can provide a 12-by-18-inch aluminum sign for beach entrances.

Why it matters: Council members and residents said they wanted visible, practical steps to reduce injuries and to reassure visitors that the city is addressing known beach hazards as summer crowds arrive.

The meeting also drew a warning from resident Steve Lascarides about recurring crowd problems on the Caspian Avenue beach on past Fourth of July weekends. “Last year, we basically had…a riot of adolescents, running around the beach and the streets and throwing rocks at residences,” Lascarides said, describing incidents he said included a reported BB gun strike on children and vehicles driving recklessly near pedestrians.

Atlantic City Police Department Chief Sarcos responded directly during public comment, saying the department will increase staffing for the holiday. “For the July weekend, we all have extra officers working that weekend. It is one of the busiest weekends that we have of the year, so we will surely be keeping a check on Caspian Avenue as well as the other areas of the city that will be bustling for the Fourth of July weekend,” Chief Sarcos said.

Discussion and next steps: Quigley left a handout with contact information and sign examples; the council did not adopt a formal ordinance at the meeting but discussed the requests publicly. Chief Sarcos’ commitment is an operational pledge rather than a legislative action recorded by the council. City staff acknowledged they would review the public-safety requests and the feasibility of placing donated signage at lifeguard stands or beach access points.

The council did not set a formal deadline for deciding whether to accept and install the donated signs; residents said they will follow up with written proposals to city staff.