Officer: Spring Break 'a war zone'

PANAMA CITY — The watch commander working midnight shifts on Spring Break called Panama City Beach a war zone in a presentation Tuesday to the monthly CrimeStoppers membership meeting.

“There are certain areas that you just don’t want to be in at night, and I consider it a war zone … and it’s sad that I have to use that term,” Panama City Beach Police Lt. Jamey Wright said. “Other people might have their own terms.”

Wright said not only are crowds on the beach bigger this year, police also are seeing more spring breakers with guns. Police recovered several firearms, and Wright estimated roughly half were stolen.

“So they’re definitely armed to the teeth,” Wright said. “And on the flip side of that, a lot of them have their permits, too. They’re armed, and they have permits.”

Panama City Police alone took nearly 10,000 calls for service in March and the first few days of April. From the audience, Maj. Tommy Ford pointed out the Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to about 6,000 calls that weren’t included in Wright’s presentation.

With such a heavy workload, police are unable to enforce every law violation and are choosing their battles. Alcohol offenses are down because police have focused on crowd control in order to prevent the violence that can erupt when groups of people are allowed to congregate on the streets, Wright said.

“Alcohol offenses are down, and sometimes we can’t make that arrest every time,” Wright said.

Wright used a heat map to illustrate where PCBPD efforts are focused. Not surprisingly, the most activity was in the so-called “Triangle,” an area of Thomas Drive west of Joan Avenue along South Thomas Drive to Front Beach Road. Essentially, police see the most trouble between roughly Ms. Newby’s and Wal-Mart, so they pour most of the manpower available into that area to show a heavy police presence, Wright said.

“We don’t want them to turn a corner and not see an officer,” Wright said.

But police focus primarily on the roads. While the sand is not entirely unpoliced, the crowds that gather behind the “superclubs” are foreboding for officers who have to weigh the benefits of making an arrest against the risk of being outnumbered. For the safety of officers, the drug and alcohol offenses on the beach often are overlooked.

Wright alluded to a series of reports that aired recently on Fox News that described the depravity of Spring Break; the unabashed depictions of a generation of teens and young adults engaged in reckless alcohol consumption and public sex stunned even local viewers.

“Obviously you’ve heard the news of what’s going on beachside, the alcohol offenses and the sexual offenses and everything going on down there,” Wright said. “Are they happening? Obviously. Are we catching everything? No, but we’re doing what we can.”

Wright said the national exposure might actually be attracting people to Panama City Beach, but it’s attracting the “100-mile club: people within a few hours of Panama City Beach who come to party and prey on visitors for the night or the weekend before heading home.”

“You get national spotlight on the clubs like that, and it’s going to bring them in — and it does,” Wright said.

Wright also discussed alcohol-related health emergencies and traffic problems from scooters.