PAPD to have 'eye in sky' on beach
BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

Port Aransas police have a surprise in store for this year's Spring Breakers who want to get rowdy - or anybody else, for that matter. It's an eye in the sky, sort of.

Police Chief Sam Russell said police officers will be stationed at a point where they can overlook the beach and get a bird's eye view of what's going on there, even at night, courtesy of night-vision glasses.

Russell declined to pinpoint the observation post, but said it would give officers a wide view of the beach.

"The officers that are patrolling the beach can't get up above the crowd and see well," he said. "They're part of the crowd. Having an elevated position will let us not only see and identify trouble spots - they'll also allow us to get an officer to that spot quicker and easier."

Officers will also be enforcing for the first time two new Port Aransas ordinances aimed specifically at young Spring Breakers.

One strengthens a previous city ordinance that made it illegal to destroy the beach by trenching or doing doughnuts with a vehicle. The new ordinance addresses creating holes in the beach by spinning vehicle tires, a practice that city council members agreed often made it dangerous to drive on the beach.

The second, more controversial, ordinance makes it unlawful to drink alcohol in public between midnight and 2 a.m. during the month of March.

The new law says it's OK to drink in a condo or tent or trailer or even in a parked vehicle. However, the beverage can't be visible in public.

Opponents of the ordinance complained that it puts an unreasonable crimp in the plans of people who simply want to go down to the beach, cook over a fire and have a beer.

Russell, who proposed the ordinance, told the council that most police problems during Spring Break come after midnight.

The ordinance passed on Feb. 21 by a 5-2 vote, with Mayor Claude Brown and Councilman Bubba Jensen casting the opposing votes.

Russell said while The University of Texas and Texas A&M University-College Station will be taking their Spring Breaks the week of March 10-14, that's not when police are concerned about.

"We don't have any problem with them," Russell said. "The problems actually come from high school students and from people who aren't even in school."

That means police will be concentrating on the following week, March 17-21. That's the week when Aransas Pass, Gregory-Portland, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas and San Antonio ISDs all have scheduled Spring Break.

Russell said preparations for this year won't be much different from previous years.

Police will double up with contracted officers from other jurisdictions, putting one officer from each city in each unit. That places someone who's familiar with Port Aransas in each police unit.

Officers will also begin working 12-hour shifts on Friday, March 14, in preparation for the coming week, Russell said.