DAYTONA BEACH — Too much urinating, loitering, encroaching and rule-breaking have been reported at city parks, so police rounded up at least 30 suspects Thursday and early Friday in an effort to clear out the troublemakers and make the parks safe and peaceful again.
"It was a beautiful sight this morning, seeing the parks all nice and clean," said Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri, whose agency handled the round-up.
The suspects were charged with entering/refusing to leave public property, which is a misdemeanor charge. Two of the suspects were found with narcotics and were charged with drug possession, arrest records show. A man seen being arrested on the beach near Breaker's Oceanfront Park on Friday morning appeared to be homeless.
The parks have been inundated with people who have been seen begging for money, threatening people for money, sleeping on the grass and relieving themselves in plain view, officials said.
"It's pretty bad when you have parks that are overrun by people who just want to commit crimes," Capri said. "The parks are for everybody."
The city recently modified its park rules in response to the growing loitering problem, officials said. The new rules, posted late this week on signs at various parks, include a long list of things prohibited in the parks. Among them: No alcohol, no smoking, no bathing, shaving or washing clothes, no obstructing public walkways, no camping, and no trespassing when the parks are closed.
"Basically, enough is enough," Capri said. "We need to take back our city. I'm tired of our (residents) getting harassed. We're just enforcing the law."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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