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JUNE 13, 2014
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
RACING
HARNESS RACING The 65th anniversary season of competition at Ocean Downs’ Ocean Oval begins – Page 41
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Police, city defuse tensions over college ‘takeover’ hype Strong law enforcement presence turns antsy into typical seasonal weekend
OCEAN CITY TODAY/NANCY POWELL
ANOTHER WINNER! Everyone’s a winner at Mini Basketball at the entrance to the pier just off the Boardwalk. Here, Porter Creasy, 6, of York, Pa., selects a prize offered by Billy Doyle on Wednesday afternoon.
Agencies meet to remind public to be hurricane savvy
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“What we want to stress is government does not do it by itself,” said Joe Theobald, the town’s Emergency Services Director. “It’s a partnership. Everybody has their piece to do.” Individuals should have an evacuation plan and a backup plan in place well before a storm hits, for example. They should prepare by assembling an emergency kit — everything from flashlights and batteries to a first aid kit, battery-powered radio, non-perishable food, a can opener, bottled See HURRICANE Page 10
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By Clara Vaughn Staff Writer (June 13, 2014) Delmarva Power with the Town of Ocean City and other local groups held a conference Wednesday to remind the public to be prepared for strong storms now that hurricane season has arrived. “Even though fewer storms are predicted this year, it only takes one storm to cause property damage and widespread power outages,” said Jim Smith, Delmarva Power’s senior public affairs manager.
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (June 13, 2014) Despite some fireand-brimstone predictions, the anticipated “college takeover” this past weekend failed to live up to the hype if it ever even existed at all. What did materialize, though, was a banner showing from police, who received virtually universal praise for a strong presence that many local leaders hope will continue throughout the rest of June’s senior week influx. “Going into it, you could sense the apprehension, the uneasiness in the community. But as we worked into the weekend, we started to see that change,” said Ocean City Police Department Chief Ross Buzzuro. “After some time went by without any major incidents, and people saw the police presence, the thoughts changed from negative to very, very positive.” The OCPD had all hands on deck for the weekend, calling virtually all of its personnel for overtime in anticipation of a deluge of college-age visitors from the DC metro area. Being June, this influx would come when the resort was already packed with high school graduates, who present a law enforcement challenge on their own. Officers in bright yellow vests were stationed at virtually every street end on the Boardwalk for the evenings of Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7. Vehicle patrols rode two to a car, and Coastal Highway also had a strong showing from the Maryland State Police and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office as well. “You felt the presence, even if you didn’t see them,” said Bob Givarz, owner of the Alaska Stand on the Boardwalk at Ninth Street. “If the guy stationed outside my place walked away, you knew in a few minutes a bike guy or a horse guy was going to come by.”
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“I thought the response was great,” said Will Savage, owner of the Majestic Hotel on Seventh Street and the Boardwalk. “The police just being there cut off any problems before they started. We had no issues at all.” OCPD data indicates that, indeed, nothing was out of line for a usual June weekend. Total calls for service over the period from Thursday, June 5 to Monday, June 9 numbered 1,285, up only eight percent from the same span over the second weekend of June last year. Notably, however, enforcement on Friday was particularly intense with 242 of the period’s total calls, versus 150 last year, indicating a strong initial show of strength from law enforcement. Arrests were up 26.6 percent to 219 – but a quick look through the police blotter indicates the vast majority of these were for disorderly conduct and marijuana, not for more serious crimes. While drug arrests were up 22.6 percent to 76 total, DUIs and See POLICE Page 3
OCEAN CITY TODAY/ZACK HOOPES
A strong presence from the Ocean City Police Department this past weekend, in anticipation of a social-media driven “takeover” event, was largely well-received by local businesses.
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