6 IslandVibesIOP.com IOP Police: Zero tolerance for unpermitted large gatherings By L. C. Leach III First IOP Town Hall brings crowds, questions By L. C. Leach III NEWS While the specific city ordinance has been on the books for three years, IOP police are reminding everyone that it is unlawful for any group to congregate at any time of year in large numbers on the island’s public property, especially including the beaches, without a valid permit. The prompting comes on the heels of an attempted ‘teen beach takeover’ on April 4 that was intended to be ‘the biggest teen beach party of 2026.’ While police said the party itself was not an issue, the lack of securing a permit beforehand not only put the gathering in jeopardy of violating a city policy of zero tolerance for unpermitted large gatherings, but also raised a safety concern for the invitees and anyone else who might have happened to be close at hand. “These kinds of beach events can turn into hundreds of people in one place,” said IOPPD Sgt. Matt Storen. “When we spoke to the organizer and told him he couldn’t do it without Isle of Palms’ first-ever public town hall meeting on March 26 served as a chance for residents to meet the nine members of city council, ask questions about ongoing issues and express concerns about the direction the island is headed for the near and long-term future. Approximately 300 people – half in person and half on YouTube livestream securing a permit, they cancelled the event.” Police learned of the proposed party through special software that scans social media and the internet for large gatherings, such as the ‘beach takeover’ – which Storen said had “spread like wildfire.” He pointed out that the chief concerns for these kinds of events, especially when occurring around spring break, relate to “underage alcohol use, drug use and the potential for violence.” The zero-tolerance policy was adopted in May 2023 after a tragic Easter week shooting incident that occurred on Good Friday. Five people were shot – one adult and four teens – with a single assailant arrested on multiple charges including five counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle. Storen said police from then on have had to shut down similar unpermitted events because “that shooting changed the dynamic of these kinds of gatherings.” Since then, the subsequent ordinance requires permission from IOPPD in the form of securing an online permit, usually 14 days in advance, for gatherings on public property, including the beach and beach access paths, that are expected to involve more than 50 people. The granting or denying of a permit usually takes days or up to a week – “and Police Chief Kevin Cornett is usually the deciding voice on that.” “We always try to take a zero-tolerance policy that could impact the safety of residents and visitors,” Storen said. “Violators can face fines up to or exceeding $1,000.” In addition to safety concerns, the ordinance is in place to protect island wildlife; prevent interference with public use of any street or beach within half a block during peak season, which runs March 1 through Sept. 9; and ensure that the city is able to provide litter clean-up and traffic control. “This ordinance is not to discourage people from coming, but gives us the ability to plan our resources better,” Storen said. “We always welcome everyone to come and enjoy IOP. We only ask that they do so by following all the laws and rules of the beach.” need to look into and fix as soon as we can.” • Beach Groins. With ongoing efforts to control beach erosion, Corey and Sheri Hillis wondered if it would be possible to construct a groin (hard aquatic structure) to trap sand in order to either build up the beaches or significantly reduce the amount of erosion. Also suggested was a jetty, which Corey said “could save us a lot of money.” Councilman John Bogosian responded by saying that the city has a consultant working on multiple beach management potentials “and a groin is absolutely one of them, especially on the south end. But they're looking at a whole host of other things to recommend to us.” • Noise Ordinance Clarification. Rebecca Habbick submitted this dual question regarding the IOP Noise Ordinance: “When are quiet hours? What is the punishment warning?” IOPPD Chief Kevin Cornett responded that quiet hours will be from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays, and 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends. As for punishment and warnings, he clarified Flyer for IOP Teen Beach Party. Event was cancelled when permit for event was not secured.Photo Courtesy of Isle of Palms Police (Facebook) – turned up at the IOP Recreation Center to do all three. “It's kind of like citizens’ comment,” said Mayor Phillip Pounds at the Feb. 24 regular meeting. “Anybody can speak to that.” Residents spoke on a total of 15 items, including: • IOP Firefighter Pay. While this issue has been simmering for years, mainland resident Danielle Murphy not only favored higher pay for her firefighter husband, but pointed out that qualified IOP firefighters are routinely being lost to surrounding communities because of non-competitive pay. “Colleton County is one of the departments we've lost most firefighters to,” Murphy said. Her comment was borne out this past March by Fire Association President and Battalion Chief Jason Smith, who said the department had just lost three people to Colleton County for a “$30,000 pay raise.” City Councilman David Cohen, while neither agreeing nor disagreeing about a definite salary, concurred that firefighter pay “is a problem that we that the goal of police officers is not to write tickets, but to ensure compliance so that “livability is not impacted in a negative way. And that will continue to be our approach.” Other concerns included the Waterway Boulevard multi-use path, first responder pay, beach access path trash cans and beach litter. Sue Cotton, who moved to Isle of Palms in 2021 as part of a lifelong dream, raised a concern that doesn’t show up on a measurable stat sheet: a barely underlying divisiveness that seems to pervade leadership and communication. “Every time somebody brings something up about our firefighters, our policemen or even our other government employees, we get defensive about it,” Cotton said to the council members. “Why do we have to have this contention between people? This is the first time we've had a lot of great dialogue back and forth.” Given the meeting’s resounding success, IOP Public Information Director Joshua Uys said it is likely that future meetings will continue. “It is council’s intention to repeat these quarterly,” he said. “The success/ ideas for improvement will likely be discussed in council and committee meetings over the coming weeks.” Mayor Phillip Pounds, center, answers a resident question at the March 26 IOP Town Hall Meeting.
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