Police chief outlines summer safety updates; scooters, mopeds and parking enforcement flagged as top concerns

At a meeting in New Shoreham, the police chief reported that arrest numbers were "way down" this summer and outlined a mix of education, targeted patrols and possible ordinance changes to address safety concerns from electric scooters, e-bikes, mopeds and golf carts.

The chief said the town launched an automated parking-ticket system in August, allowing motorists to pay citations online; one of the first tickets issued after the system went live was paid the same day. "We finally got that done up and running in August, and that worked out actually really well," the police chief said. The chief added that the parking fine remains $50.

The chief described recurring complaints about scooter and e-bike speeds and riders ignoring stop signs and pedestrian areas, particularly around Bridgegate Square. "Some of the school age kids have some of these that, I'm pretty sure they exceed the speed limit," the police chief said. He said council members have discussed adding electric scooters to the town's existing skateboard ordinance — which currently prohibits skateboarding in town — at least for the area up to Bridgegate Square as a first regulatory step.

Enforcement faces limits, the chief cautioned. Community-service officers (CSOs) have been used on weekends, with two CSOs riding bicycles to patrol Bridgegate Square and nearby areas. "Having my CSOs there at the stop signs, that can then help us enforce that," the police chief said, but added that determining technical specifications such as motor wattage for enforcement would be difficult for a short-staffed department.

The chief emphasized education as a primary tool: meetings with business owners and employees (including seasonal workers) at the start of the season to explain rules and penalties. He noted that some communities (including a referenced Westerly) have adopted age and equipment restrictions for certain electric vehicles, and said he will look into those examples.

On school transportation, the chief said town staff have been following the school buses and that "Joe" had been talking with the school committee about getting a camera for the bus to improve safety and evidence collection.

Other operational updates included: - Tip411: The town’s Tip411 reporting line was restored in the spring and is on the town website; the chief said it has helped reduce dispatch load by routing non-urgent lost-and-found calls through the Tip411 system. "We got that back up and running again, this spring," the police chief said. - Moped and numbering system: The department has a new numbering system for mopeds, which makes identification easier when enforcement or complaints are reported. - Golf carts: The chief reported a single golf-cart accident for the season. He raised visibility concerns for carts used at night and said the town has so far not permitted them on roads at night. - Staffing and training: Recruit Donovan Rosa is in the police academy, finishing firearms training and beginning EVOC (emergency vehicle operations); the chief said Rosa is expected to graduate and return to duty after completing training. Officer Phil Bridal graduated from the academy in May and has been completing field training with Officer Dan Walsh.

Throughout the discussion, the chief stressed limits on local enforcement authority and staffing constraints, noting that heavier technical enforcement — for example, measuring a scooter's motor wattage — would be difficult without additional resources. He urged a mix of gradual regulatory change, targeted education for seasonal employees and continued use of CSOs and visible patrols.

The meeting included brief references to other communities' approaches (Samaset Resort, Rockland; Fort Lauderdale) as models for handling resort-area vehicle rental and safety, and to local geography (Bridgegate Square, Cornick Road, High Street) when describing enforcement hotspots.

The chief concluded by saying the department will continue to monitor what other towns are doing, try incremental changes and adjust enforcement and education as needed.