As populations swell during the summer, they also bring crime to the Jersey Shore. Most of it involves petty offenses, fueled by underage drinking. But nearly all shore towns say they hire seasonal police officers to keep things in check.
SEASIDE HEIGHTS--It wasn't exactly a major heist.
The husband-and-wife team spent the July 4th weekend last year working the beach at North Wildwood, stealing cash, cell phones and other personal items out of unattended bags as they hopscotched their way across a patchwork of towels and blankets before they were finally arrested and charged with theft.
Crime comes in like the tide at the Jersey Shore. When the crowds of summer arrive, populations of sleepy resort towns swell ten-fold or more--bringing an influx not only of traffic and noise, but sometimes drugs, alcohol-fueled fights, shoplifting and petty theft.
"When you have large concentrations of people in a relatively small place, it's a prescription for circumstances conducive for breaking the law," said Wayne Fisher, a professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University and former chairman of the New Jersey Police Training Commission.
The problem, say officials in some shore communities, is too many of the visitors who come often leave their better judgment at home.
Much of what police in the shore communities see is not especially serious crime, and may not even be reportable--such as noise complaints, open container citations, or rowdy behavior. But Fisher said it puts added stress on small departments unable to deal with all the traffic and everything else that comes with the crowds. And by now, most shore communities about to turn into party towns for the summer have already hired hundreds of seasonal officers to augment their police departments.
Seaside Heights police officers patrolling the beach. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, who runs his county's police academy, called the seasonal hires a necessity for most departments.
"We have 22 coastal towns. The population in that area is about 440,000 residents and on peak summer days, it can climb to over 900,000," he said. "They all hire specials."
The seasonal cops include Special I officers, who receive eight days of training and typically handle parking enforcement and traffic, and are assigned to foot patrols.Golden said Special II officers, who carry firearms, get the same 16-week training at the Monmouth County Police Academy as basic police recruits, but are only allowed to work part time.
In preparation for the summer, the academy recently graduated a Special I class of 100 officers, along with another 64 Special II officers three weeks ago. Some are advanced college students. Others are those who see it as a gateway to careers in law enforcement.
What they typically face, said Golden, are "quality of life" crimes, rather than violent or indictable crime.
"Noise, partying, traffic, drunk and disorderly--those are the type of issues we see," he said. "Minor thefts. Shoplifting. And drug usage."
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is led away by Seaside Heights police after her arrest on the beach in 2010. (Bobby Bank | Getty Images)Indeed, compared with other parts of the state, crime in the Shore towns seldom rises much above the category of people behaving badly--such as the well-publicized incident in Seaside Heights some years back involving Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, who was then one of the stars of MTV's "Jersey Shore" reality series.
Arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct, Polizzi later apologized to police and pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with the quiet enjoyment of the beach--essentially disturbing the peace.
A beer-and-pot party in Seaside Park made headlines in 2013, when seven teenagers from Clark were arrested after police broke up a loud house party, seizing 13 kegs and 20 cases of beer plus marijuana and ecstasy. Police said there were 70 people at the party, which drew complaints from a neighbor because of the noise.
Some of it, though, is more serious. Last June, State Police took down a drug operation working out of a stash-house in Seaside Heights, where they arrested one man and seized more than 15 grams of raw heroin, 275 decks of packaged heroin, cocaine, and packaging paraphernalia.
Overall, like much of the state, crime along the Jersey Shore is down some 6.6 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to the most recent uniform crime report issued by the State Police.
The hot spot remains Atlantic City, which is in a category of its own. The casino town has a steady influx of visitors year-round, and a violent crime rate rivaling most of the state's big cities. There were seven murders reported last year, 356 robberies, and more than 1,500 incidents of assault. Thieves made off with 75 stolen cars.
Most of the Jersey Shore police departments, however, had far less trouble to handle. Wildwood led the list in indictable offenses, based on a population-adjusted per capita ranking that accounted for the seasonal nature of the city, Most of that, however, involved cases of theft.
"Our crime is petty in nature," said Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano, Jr. "It's kids who are on their own for the first time, and mom and dad are not there to keep them in check."
Wildwood in Cape May, with 5,325 residents, sees its population climb to 200,000 or more in the summer, with visitors lured by its wide beaches, amusement piers and special events throughout the season. But Troiano said too many of them are under-21 college kids looking to party.
"It just blows my mind how they come down here and think they can legally drink," he said.
The problem of alcohol and kids is not isolated to Wildwood. Last summer, police busted 252 young men and women in underage drinking stings in 39 towns from Wildwood to Atlantic Highlands.
In Seaside Heights, Mayor Anthony Vaz said his community has made an effort to change its target audience.
"We're refocusing ourselves more as a family resort," he said. "We're seeing more family oriented tourism, and our crime rate is going down."
Wildwood, meanwhile, has become increasingly aggressive with more traffic stops and more arrests for even minor crimes.
Some chafe at the increased law enforcement presence, taking angrily to Twitter and Facebook to complain about what they say is overzealous enforcement by young officers. But Troiano said the word has gotten out not to get caught in Wildwood.
"We took a position last year that were not putting up with it anymore," he said.
In Wildwood, which has 39 full-time cops, the city will hire as many as 60 special officers during the summer months. It has also gotten federal grants to hire more full-time officers.
"You're here to have fun. We're here to help you have fun," Troiano said. "But if you don't do it at home, we're asking you not to do it here."
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.