The City has begun deploying additional police and parking control officers to the Oceanfront Boardwalk under a new program to enhance public safety in some of the Balboa Peninsula’s busiest areas.
The new “Boardwalk and Quality of Life Enforcement Program” replaces the Boardwalk Ambassadors after a two-year trial. While the Boardwalk Ambassador program was successful in providing outreach and education, it lacked enforcement capabilities for infractions such as bicycle speeding, surreys on the boardwalk, skateboarding and other issues of importance to residents.
Under the new program, officers will continue to provide outreach and education, but will take enforcement actions when necessary, including issuing citations for violations of the California Vehicle Code and Newport Beach Municipal Code, and making arrests when appropriate.
The new program will use $200,000 a year previously allocated to the ambassadors to fund police officer overtime. The additional officers will generally be deployed on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday weekends throughout the year.
Officers will work directly with the Police Department’s Peninsula Enforcement Team and coordinate with other divisions such as traffic and homeless outreach. In addition to patrols, police will conduct periodic, targeted speed-enforcement operations and address other quality-of-life community issues and concerns. Utilizing patrol vehicles, bicycles, beach quad runners, beach trucks, and foot-beat patrols, officers will serve as a visual deterrent to would-be offenders and be available to assist community members and visitors.
We are excited to begin this new phase of our public safety efforts on the Peninsula. If you have questions, comments or would like to provide input on the new program, please contact Newport Beach Police Lt. Corey Wolik at 949-644-3617 or by email at cwolik@nbpd.org.
