LOS ANGELES ? Police Sgt. Marc Reina checks the weather on his iPhone every morning to forecast what lies ahead on the job at Venice Beach.
?Eighty-two and sunny ? I know it?s going to be a long day,? he says.
Police are gearing up for especially long days even before summer?s unofficial Memorial Day start, as the sun and heat that draw throngs of tourists to one of the city?s top destinations also attracts an unsavory element and unusual violence ? a shooting and stabbing in recent weeks.
Fearing crime could spiral, police have started cracking down on the unruliness that typifies the boardwalk ? a 1.5-mile ribbon of asphalt that runs along the sand where the Ringling Brothers-meets-Woodstock ambiance can draw 150,000 people on a summer weekend.
Patrol reinforcements are being summoned from other divisions, more undercover operatives are being assigned to infiltrate crowds, and detectives are gathering intelligence via social media.
Dozens of people have been arrested for smoking pot and drinking in public, minor transgressions but ones that set the tone of public order on the beach.
?People come here from all over the world and we want them to come,? said police Capt. Jon Peters. ?But clearly, in my mind, this has become a public safety issue. We?re taking an aggressive enforcement posture.?
Policing the funky neighborhood along a scenic stretch of sand and surf has always been a thorny task.
The beach and boardwalk have unique sets of labyrinthine regulations, plus an entrenched counterculture that takes pride in pushing the boundaries of law and order, including hurling beer bottles and heckling the cops.
Nevertheless, the LAPD division in the area has a waiting list of officers wanting to wear shorts on the job, zoom around the sand on ATVS and pound the pavement on Segway-type vehicles. It takes about six weeks for a new officer to learn the beach beat.
Along with Berettas and batons, police are armed with tape measures to check peddlers? adherence to city property lines, and noise meters to detect decibel violators.
Since the economy soured, officers have gotten a lot busier dealing with everything from more thefts and transients to complaints about noise and vendor disputes. The increase has come even as overall crime in Venice has trended downward during the past two years, following a citywide pattern.
The summer m�lange of hucksters hawking two-headed turtles; aging hippies living in garishly painted RVs; activists opposing circumcision; and camera-toting visitors has extended to year-round, driven by peddlers desperate for a buck and families seeking a cheap outing.
?People don?t have the money to go to other hotspots so they?re coming here,? said Reina, deftly weaving a police SUV through a sandy slalom course of bikini-clad sunbathers and sand-digging kids. ?This is free entertainment.?
Police are particularly concerned about two outlaw groups that have made Venice a regular hangout.
Nomadic bands of youths who used to pass through Venice have taken up residence in alleyways, living off panhandling, theft and resale of medical marijuana from boardwalk dispensaries. South Los Angeles gang members are also increasingly coming on weekends, bringing their rivalries and weapons.
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