Community Corner
Police: Newport's Fourth of July Culture is Changing
Newport Beach is a popular party place on the Fourth of July, but police say the culture is becoming more family-friendly.
Newport Beach is seeing a positive change in the culture of its Fourth of July festivities, and police vow to continue working on making the holiday dedicated to family fun.
At Tuesday afternoon's City Council Study Session, Newport Beach Police Deputy Chief David McGill addressed the council and said there were no major incidents on the Fourth of July. He said the overall atmosphere was less hectic than previous years.
"We got one step closer this year to the family-friendly holiday we are looking for," McGill said. "We have a long way to go to be perfect, but we are getting closer."
Over the years the Balboa Peninsula was widely-known for loud and wild parties on the Fourth of July, but this year seemed to be more toned down, according to McGill. Police handed out one citation for a loud and unruly party, down from four last year and 16 in 2011. There were 81 calls placed to dispatch about loud parties, down from 117 in 2012, 137 in 2011 and 153 in 2010."Over the last four years there has been a significant decrease in calls to dispatch about loud parties," McGill said.
"To me that shows we are really making a difference in how people conduct themselves," Councilman Mike Henn added in reference to the decrease in party calls to dispatch.
Resident George Schroeder has lived in West Newport for 25 years and said he has witnessed the change in culture on the Fourth of July first-hand.
"This was the best year over year improvement ever," Schroeder said.
There were 124 people arrested on the holiday, 103 of whom were men, only 15 of them were Newport Beach residents.
"A significant number of folks coming from areas outside of Newport Beach and don't follow the program," McGill said.
Most people who found themselves in hot water with police were busted for being drunk in public, getting into fights or getting caught with drugs, McGill said.
While significant strides have been made, officials said there is still room for improvement on the Fourth of July.
Police saw an increase in calls for fireworks this year with 107 calls, up from last year's 72. He said the fire department responded to two fires that were related to fireworks.
"I think we need to pay some attention to the firework problem and see if there is a better way to deal with [illegal fireworks] next year," McGill said.
Do you think the Fourth of July culture in Newport Beach has changed for the better? Tell us in the comments.
Click here for today's top stories on Newport Beach-Corona Del Mar Patch.
Find out what's happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
