Dewey Police Officers Warn Parents and Students About Dangers of 'Beach Week'

For most local students under 21 - and their parents, a meeting with Dewey police officers will not be a pleasant experience.

That's why Dewey Police Officers Cliff Dempsey and Bill Hocker traveled from the Delaware beach town to on Monday to tell students and parents how they can keep from meeting them again.

Dempsey's top tip: Don't allow your kids to go on an unchaperoned Beach Week.

The officers spoke to parents and high school seniors at on Monday as part of an information session hosted by the Thomas Wootton High School PTSA in partnership with the Bethesda Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, Walt Whitman and Winston Churchill High School PTA groups on "The Real Story" of Beach Week.

For many years, Beach Week has been the traditional celebratory trip for graduating seniors in the area. Students rent houses, stay in hotels or at family vacation homes in nearby Delaware and Maryland beach towns.

Each year, PTA groups host discussion sessions to provide information with both parents and students in a consequence-free environment. But neither PTA groups or Montgomery County Public Schools take a position on the tradition, said a parent volunteer.

"Dewey is an adult nightlife town and it's a safe environment for those over the age of 21," Dempsey told the crowd. "But it's not the time and place for your kids to come there. I don't want your kids coming to my town."

Dempsey said Dewey Beach is inherently more risky for teens, because there is little to do after 9 p.m. in the area. In contrast, Ocean City, Rehoboth and Bethany beaches have more entertainment options for people under age 21 after 9 p.m. Dewey also has a curfew for anyone under age 18 of 11 p.m., Sunday - Thursday and 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

"Ninety percent of [seniors on Beach Week] will have at least one sip of alcohol; 50 percent will be drunk numerous times," Dempsey said.

On average, Officer Hocker said they make 225 arrests each summer. He said the most common arrests involve underage drinking or possession of alcohol. Hocker provided the following information about penalties and fines in Dewey.

• When someone under the age of 18 is charged with possession of alcohol, they will need to be picked up by a parent or guardian that night. This kind of penalty can result in a summons to Dewey family court and a $100 fine.

• A person 18 and over, but under age 21, caught with possession of alcohol is treated as an adult and may be sent to a detention facility in Ocean City to be held overnight. The charge can carry a fine of $25 and may also result in a loss of driving privileges in Delaware.

• Every other fine in Dewey is $287, that includes breaking the 9 p.m. beach curfew, jay-walking and littering. Disorderly house fines can run as high as $1000.

Loud music or evidence of underage drinking can prompt police to enter a house, Dempsey said, and any underage person in the house could potentially be charged with possession of alcohol. But typically, Dempsey said they breathalyzer test everyone and will not arrest anyone that they determine has not been drinking. Police must call parents of anyone under age 18 to get permission to issue a breathalyzer test.

For parents who do allow their kids to go to the beach, Dempsey suggested a family member also go to the beach and stay nearby.

"Pop in every now and again and say 'Hi'," he said. He also suggested parents put their contact information in a prominent place on their son's or daughter's phone or wallet so police can contact parents in case of an emergency.

Several parents completed a survey in 2010 on Beach Week. Here are a few suggestions they made on preparations and precautions.

• Graduates should only stay at a family owned beach place
• Stressed that money was on the line if the house was messed up to the point of losing the deposit.
• Had the kids draft up a contract with rules they thought they could abide by. Parents had full right to add, amend, comment
• Tell student: Go to the beach during the day, hang out in town or in the house at night - go to the movies, rent movies, go to the water park, ride the bike trails.
• Tell student: Can always call parents, no matter what time of night or day to rescue from an unsafe situation, without judgment

The PTSA also provided information on Beach Week alternatives, such as a trip to Disney World's Beach Club or a 7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise with Carnival.