Huntersville officials, residents press for sustained enforcement after large juvenile gatherings at Birkdale Village
Loading...
Summary
After large weekend gatherings of teenagers at Birkdale Village, police told the Town Board they will resume off‑duty officer coverage and are working with property managers; several residents urged stronger, ongoing enforcement and community supports for youth.
Chief Ryan Vaughn told the Huntersville Town Board on Feb. 17 that police will work with Birkdale Village management to increase off‑duty officer coverage after a large Saturday night gathering that drew hundreds of teenagers.
"We charged around 50 people during that [directed enforcement] period," Vaughn said, describing patrols the department ran in November and December and the decision to pause extra patrols when the crowds subsided. He said officers who were on site after the most recent call arrived within minutes, found no reported assaults, and saw the crowd disperse within 20–30 minutes after officers intervened. Vaughn added the department is using school resource officers to help trace how gatherings are organized and is reviewing video to identify participants.
Residents at the meeting described the weekend as dangerous and urged sustained action. "Over 200 teenagers terrorized cars trying to pass around in Birkdale," Marianne Turetsky said during public comment, urging greater transparency from the board and warning local businesses are already avoiding the village. Dawn Snow said the new owners, Hines, should help protect their "$275,000,000 investment" by maintaining security and cooperative enforcement.
Mayor Pro Tem Hunt said the property manager has implemented an age‑accompaniment rule: "They said visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult after 6 p.m., and that's effective Friday, February 20." The town's role, Vaughn said, is limited when incidents involve enforcement of a private property's code of conduct; police can act on trespass or public‑safety offenses and will assist Birkdale in trespass or trespass bans if asked.
Board members and residents pressed staff about limits and next steps: Vaughn noted officers identified attendees from neighboring counties and that the department lacks a dedicated social‑media monitoring resource, though staff may explore software to track viral posts. Several public commenters urged development of positive outlets for teenagers as a complement to enforcement.
The board did not take a formal vote specific to Birkdale policing at the Feb. 17 meeting. Town staff said they will continue coordination with Hines/Birkdale management, pursue identification of individuals captured on video, and engage school resource officers and surrounding jurisdictions as needed.
