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Alcohol illegal, dangerous to consume on public beaches
Continued from Page 30 criminal offense and may lead to your arrest.
• Consuming alcohol in public by ANYONE is prohibited.
• Carrying an open container of alcohol is a violation. This includes the beach areas, sidewalks and the Boardwalk.
• Using false identification to purchase alcohol or enter a bar, is a criminal offense that can result in a fine and/or loss of license.
• If your beverage is in a glass container, you are also guilty of violating an additional ordinance (No glass containers are allowed on the beach).
You should note that the law is specific about the consumption of alcohol and has nothing to do with the container it is in (except that glass is also prohibited).
Pouring a beverage into a cup is not acceptable. Some patrons know the law but choose to disobey and take their alcohol to the beach, then attempt to hide the behavior from the Beach Patrol, which is in charge of enforcing Ocean City’s ordinances on the beach.
I often find it ironic that a 30- or 40-year-old beach patron will try to hide beer from an 18-year-old lifeguard … this behavior means the lifeguard must then divide their time dealing with challenging patrons and watching the water at the same time.
When an SRT has to leave the stand to enforce the law (part of their responsibility), which the person is usually already aware of, that causes the surrounding SRTs to not only have to guard their water but now they have the added responsibility of the now vacant stand.
Obey the laws, listen to your lifeguard, and keep alcohol off the beach.
Violation of these laws may require another trip to Ocean City for a court date.
Please do your part to keep everyone safe when it comes to alcohol, and always remember “Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard’s in the stand!”
As added protection for you and your friends, always locate the nearest stand with a guard and swim on that beach.
