By GILLIAN GAYNAIR
The Virginian-Pilot(Norfolk, VA.)
Copyright 2006 Landmark Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
VIRGINIA BEACH — They’re on the Boardwalk and on the beach: college students wearing gray collared shirts with the words “COURTESY PATROL” on their backs.
People “think we’re here to enforce kindness,” said 21-year-old Bridget Legler, one of the patrollers.
Not quite.
Under a new paid internship program with the city Police Department, Legler is one of 13 courtesy patrol aides who alert people to resort regulations and urge them to comply.
The aides cannot enforce laws, but they do have more authority than the youth intervention teams that once greeted tourists and offered assistance.
The Courtesy Patrol informs violators that dogs, skateboards and alcohol are not allowed on the beach. They help police find lost children - a daily occurrence - and record found property. They also try to stop behaviors that the city considers inappropriate, though not illegal.
If needed, the police dispatcher is just a call away.
The patrol team was selected from 137 applicants from Virginia universities. Most aides grew up in Virginia Beach, and nearly all are interested in careers in law enforcement or public service.
“They can get an exposure as close as possible without being a police officer,” Police Capt. Dennis Free said.
Department leaders hope the program will serve as a recruiting tool.
Patrol aides work in rotating pairs during day and night shifts. They’re either on foot or in “the mule,” a modified all-terrain vehicle.
Before hitting the strip, they learned about city policies, defense techniques and how to approach people.
“I try to approach everyone in the same way, because you really don’t know until you’re in a conversation with them if they’ll be OK or mad about what you tell them,” said Jonathan Brown, 21, a senior at Christopher Newport University.
Not everyone is pleasant.
“I’ve been flipped off, called names, cursed at,” Brown said. Aides say tourists are often unaware of the city’s regulations but are willing to comply . Some seem surprised by the restrictions. Visitors have told Legler, “Wow, you guys keep a tight beach.”
Locals, on the other hand, “are more often likely to ignore us because they’ve been coming here so long, so they don’t want us to interrupt their routine,” she said.
For many patrol aides, the internship gives them some insight into where they grew up.
A few suggested that the resort designate a place for skateboarders and dogs and that hotels give children bracelets that say where they are staying.
Most eye- opening has been the Oceanfront’s homeless. Many aides said they hadn’t realized that the population existed, nor did they expect homeless people and police to be on a first- name basis.
Police say one of their goals for the Courtesy Patrol already seems to be working: A couple of aides, including Jennifer Evans, have submitted applications to the police academy.
“I was really unsure if I wanted to be a police officer, and I wanted to get a feel for the department,” said Evans, 26, a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Now, after a month of helping police at the Oceanfront, Evans is convinced. “It has definitely made my mind up that I want to be a Virginia Beach police officer when I graduate,” she said.