PHOTO: Malibu Honors Beach Team

Malibu Mayor Lou La Monte honored the Malibu Beach Team Monday for its work over the summer.

From June to September, the beach team issued 2,379 citations for alcohol on the beach this year compared to 1,985 in 2011.

The team is made up of eight deputies, a sergeant and a traffic deputy. Six of the deputies are assigned to Zuma Beach, while others are sent to "pocket beaches," such as El Matador Beach, Surfrider Beach and Corral Beach, according to Sgt. Fray Lupian, who heads the team and is assigned to the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff's Station.

The deputies, which received additional training this summer from a veteran deputy, were armed with alcohol screening devices, which have been in use for the last three years.

The team also saw an increase in the number of parking citations issued. This year 4,682 tickets were written compared to 4,122 in 2011. The numbers do not include tickets written by Secural, which was hired by the City of Malibu to help with enforcement.