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Daytona Beach police trying to prevent crowd chaos
After large crowds created chaos in Daytona Beach over Memorial Weekend, the city is beefing up presence of police officers and also erecting barricades.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Authorities in Volusia County said they are aware of a block party circulating on social media on Daytona’s beachside.
After a chaotic Memorial Day weekend, police said they have a plan in place.
“We’re prepared for it. We have a multijurisdictional plan in place, working with our partners, and the beachside will be safe for everyone to come and have a good time as long as they obey the laws and respect,” said Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri.
Councilwoman Barb Girtman joined Capri at a press briefing Friday. She said city leaders have worked with the promoter to postpone the event.
“Trust me we are all ready for a big party but now is not the time,” she said.
“When COVID-19 passes and it’s safe to do these events, we’ll do them in a safe, lawful manner,” said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
In the event of heavy crowds that day, police said they will be out in force. The city also installed barricades along A1A in the core district area to keep people off the streets.
“We’re looking for no incidents but there’s gonna be a lot of police out there that you’re not accustomed to seeing since the mid-early 2000s,” said Sheriff Chitwood.
City leaders and law enforcement said they wanted people to know Daytona is open for business.
“Anybody and everybody is welcome to our city. We don’t discriminate. We want you to come to our city so you have a great time, but you got to obey the law. You got to obey the rules. You got to have respect,” said Chief Capri.