DENNIS – Town Administrator Elizabeth Sullivan and Police Chief John Brady are announcing new restrictions for Dennis beaches that will be put into effect on the Fourth of July.
The restrictions will be put in place at Mayflower Beach, Chapin Memorial Beach and Bayview Beach on July 4th only.
Over the past three years, particularly at Mayflower Beach, police have seen a dramatic increase in unsafe and dangerous conduct, fighting, assaults, vandalism, binge drinking, drug use, loud music, and other concerning behavior.
Since 2019, there has been a 100% increase in beach-related calls for emergency services at the three beaches, which are connected geographically. Department data shows that Dennis Police responded to more than 1,200 calls for service at Town beaches over the past three July 4th holidays, including 459 calls last year.
To address this public safety concern, the Town of Dennis and the Dennis Police Department will be implementing the following restrictions on the Fourth of July:
No Daily Parking Passes will be sold or accepted on July 4 at Mayflower Beach, Chapin Beach, or Bayview Beach. Only those who have a residential, seasonal, or weekly parking sticker will be allowed entrance to the beach parking lots.
A parking ban will be in full effect in the neighborhoods and businesses adjacent to the beaches, and vehicles found in violation will be subject to being ticketed and/or towed.
There will be zero tolerance for alcohol consumption, drug use, overly loud music and unsafe behavior at the beaches on July 4. Officers will be out in full numbers, and Dennis Police will be bringing in additional resources to help in this effort.
“Dennis is home to some of the best beaches on Cape Cod, including Mayflower Beach. Our goal with these measures is to make sure that beachgoers can enjoy Dennis beaches this July 4th holiday safely without worrying about out-of-control crowds, violence, and other dangerous behavior,” Chief Brady said.
Vehicle Checkpoints, Parking and Rideshares
All drivers traveling to either Mayflower Beach or Chapin Memorial Beach from Main Street (Route 6A) will be stopped at a checkpoint at the intersection of New Boston Road and Beach Street. Those who have a proper parking sticker will be allowed to continue on (along with neighborhood residents and their visitors). Those who do not will be asked to turn around and will not be permitted to enter the beach parking lot.
There will be additional checkpoints, including at the parking lot entrances, and officers will be posted on side streets to direct traffic.
Bayview Beach is for residents only and officers will be checking for parking stickers there as well.
Rideshare drivers without a proper parking sticker will be stopped at the intersection of Beach Street and New Boston Road, where passengers may be unloaded. For those considering walking from that intersection, it is approximately 1.2 miles to Mayflower Beach and 2.2 miles to Chapin Memorial Beach.
Zero Tolerance for Alcohol and Drugs
Alcohol is not permitted at any Dennis beaches, including on July 4th. Anyone found to be drinking alcohol on a Dennis beach will be issued a written citation, receive a fine of $50 and have their alcohol confiscated. Those who do not comply after receiving a citation may be subject to arrest.
In addition to alcohol, drug use, vandalism, overly loud music and other unruly or rowdy behavior will not be tolerated.
Dennis Police will be out in full numbers on the beaches and will be bringing in additional resources to assist with keeping the beach safe.
Parking Ban in Place
There is no street parking in the neighborhoods near the beaches. Additionally, a parking ban will be in full effect on July 4th in the neighborhoods and businesses adjacent to the beaches. Vehicles found in violation will be subject to being ticketed and/or towed.
Residents in the area should be well aware of the general parking restrictions in place and we understand that residents may have guests over to their homes for Fourth of July festivities. While parking enforcement officers will be out in the neighborhoods, they will do their best to attempt to make contact with residents about any vehicles parked in front of their homes before ticketing and/or towing vehicles.
Growing Danger and Concern
The combination of crowd size and alcohol has resulted in increasingly large, disorderly, and chaotic crowds.
Last year, Dennis Police responded to multiple calls reporting large groups fighting and drinking on the beach, as well as several calls of people urinating and stepping in the protected beach dunes.
During one call, police disrupted a live boxing match that was set to take place on the beach and confiscated boxing gloves. One male victim was violently assaulted in a beach bathhouse and sustained serious head and facial injuries. A woman was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot during a physical altercation. In addition, a Dennis Police officer was surrounded by a group of disorderly individuals and was assaulted.
In total, Dennis Police made 13 arrests last year for offenses including underage liquor possession, assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, and leaving the scene of a personal injury crash.
In 2022, Dennis Police and the Select Board closed Mayflower Beach after a number of fights, only for the crowds to move on to other town beaches. In 2021, a man was pistol-whipped during a large fight on the beach. (Further information and data about calls for service to the beaches in recent years can be found below.)
“The crowds have been descending upon our beaches for the past couple of years and it has caused significant public safety hazards and concerns,” said Chief Brady. “My first priority is ensuring that Dennis first responders can properly patrol the beach, quickly respond to emergencies, and help make this an enjoyable July 4th for responsible beachgoers.”
In addition, crowds also leave behind a tremendous amount of trash, including beer cans, broken glass bottles, towels, clothing, shoes, coolers, beach chairs and other items that takes DPW personnel and volunteer crews hours to clean up.
“These temporary measures will help keep our beautiful beaches a place we can continue to safely use and enjoy,” said Dennis Beach and Recreation Director Dustin Pineau.
Current Plan for Restrictions
The current plan is for these restrictions to be put into place only on July 4th and only for this year. Town officials will evaluate the effectiveness of these measures and discuss if they will continue in subsequent years or if other plans need to be made.
“Local and seasonal Dennis residents and visitors should be able to go to their local beach without encountering massive drinking parties organized by visitors who come to the beach for the day and leave utter chaos in their wake,” said Dennis Select Board Chair Christopher Lambton. “We believe these actions will help to make the beaches safer for everyone and help ensure that we all have a Happy Fourth of July.”
Local residents or business owners who have questions about the temporary measures can contact the Dennis Police Department at 508-394-1315.
Additional Data and Information
To provide further context, below are the number of calls for service and significant incidents at Dennis beaches since 2019:
2019
Calls for service at Dennis Beaches: 230
No arrests
Two small groups arguing
Medical/rescue calls
Normal parking and traffic-related issues
2020:
Calls for service at Dennis Beaches: 169
No arrests
Rowdy kids on the beach
Medical/rescue calls
Parking and traffic-related issues
2021:
Calls for service at Dennis Beaches: 387
One arrest for assault
Large fight on Mayflower Beach. Firearm was displayed and one victim was pistol-whipped.
Two disturbance calls for fights at the beach involving 10 to 20 individuals.
Three calls to disperse large groups of young adults drinking and using drugs at Mayflower Beach. One group was estimated to be 200-plus people.
Several vehicles were vandalized in beach parking lots.
Numerous street signs were damaged in the area of the beaches.
2022:
Calls for Service at Dennis Beaches: 382
Numerous calls for large groups fighting at Mayflower Beach. One male sustained serious head and eye trauma from being assaulted.
Calls for several hundred people causing a disturbance. Officers reported more than 200 to 300 people circled around several others performing “Oklahoma” football tackle drills.
Due to overwhelming crowds and drunken/disorderly behavior, beaches were ordered closed by the Police Chief and Select Board for safety reasons. Beaches were cleared.
As a result of beaches being closed and cleared, several other beaches in Dennis were overwhelmed by hundreds of displaced beachgoers. Numerous calls for fights and vandalism at other beaches. A large fire was set in the dunes of another beach.
Three individuals were placed into protective custody
2023:
Calls for Service at Dennis Beaches: 459
13 arrests for various offenses including under-aged liquor possession, assault, assault with a dangerous weapon and leaving the scene of a personal injury crash.
Numerous calls for large groups fighting and drinking on the beach.
Calls for people urinating in the protected beach dunes.
Call for several hundred people causing a disturbance. Officers report 500-plus people circled around several others performing “Oklahoma” football tackle drills.
Officers also confiscated boxing gloves and disrupted a live boxing match that was set to take place on the beach.
One officer was surrounded by a group of disorderly individuals and assaulted.
One male victim was violently assaulted in the bathroom and sustained serious head and facial injuries.
A female was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot during a physical altercation with several people. The driver attempted to flee and several arrests were made.
Bathroom toilets were damaged and clogged with beer cans and bottles.
Beaches littered with several tons of trash.
