By Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

Information and training are key elements of public safety.

Several of our bills that address the need to ensure law enforcement officers have better resources to address unsanctioned gatherings like flash mobs and pop-up parties, as well as crimes involving the use of firearms, have advanced in the State Assembly.

Our police officers are the first and last line of defense when unruly crowds suddenly appear and take over a business district or beachfront entertainment area, as they have done several times in Long Branch’s Pier Village during recent summers. These groups spread the word quickly through social media to partygoers without any notice to municipalities or their police departments. The unannounced, often rowdy crowds hurt businesses by restricting customer access, sometimes causing injury and property damage.

That’s why we have sponsored legislation to require the state Attorney General to establish a training program for crowd management and provide resources to local law enforcement for large gatherings, flash mobs, or pop-up parties. The Assembly Judiciary Committee just passed our bill with bipartisan support.

Under the bill, the attorney general would work with the Superintendent of State Police, the NJ Office of Emergency Management, and the State Association of Chiefs of Police to come up with a training program for local police departments. It would focus on municipalities that have experienced two or more large social gatherings, a flash mob, or a pop-up party within the past 12 months. The bill defines a “flash mob” or “pop-up party” as a gathering of 50 or more persons, and “large-scale gathering” as any public or private gathering with more than 500 attendees. 

In addition to general crowd management techniques, especially techniques applicable to juveniles, and calls for developing strategies for responding to social media activity related to large-scale gatherings. It would include best practices for coordination and resource sharing with neighboring law enforcement agencies, and for ensuring the safety of attendees, the public, and law enforcement officers during a flash mob or large-scale gathering. The bill also tasks the attorney general with making resources available to local police departments and establishing a process for them to seek immediate support during a flash mob or pop-up party. 

The Assembly Judiciary Committee passed our recently sponsored legislation to require the attorney general to collect and report data regarding shootings that did not result in bodily injury. Each county prosecutor would have to provide quarterly data on these crimes to the attorney general for three years after which the attorney general would submit a report to the governor and the legislature. The AG’s office also would publish the report on the Department of Law and Public Safety website.

Asw. Donlon, who is a surfer, recently introduced legislation to clarify the right of people entering the beach solely to go in the water for some activity, such as surfing or fishing, without a beach badge. The bill would prohibit towns from requiring beach tags to access the wet sand below the mean high tide line for recreational purposes, a right long upheld under public doctrine in New Jersey. The bill has been amended to broaden the activities beyond surfing and fishing to include anyone using the beach below the mean high tide line solely for recreational purposes, such as paddleboarding, kayaking, or other activities that take place in the water or at the water’s edge.

Our beaches are New Jersey’s largest natural resource, and local commercial districts are the backbone of the area’s economy. Let’s enjoy them together, safely and without confrontation. 

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