Cameras to catch curfew breakers

If you get a hankering for a late-night swim in Corona del Mar, beware — you might find yourself on camera and end up explaining yourself to the police.

The beaches close at 10 p.m., but residents have recently complained about problems with late-night beachgoers leaving trash in their yards, making noise as they come and go, and even committing crimes such as vandalism.

So to cut down on crime on Corona del Mar beaches and in surrounding neighborhoods, the city of Newport Beach will install new infrared cameras to check on Corona del Mar State Beach, Little Corona and Pirates Cove.

The City Council voted May 22 to spend $170,395 on a seven-camera system, with four at the state beach, two at the Wedge looking toward Pirates Cove, and one at Little Corona. Deputy Police Chief John Klein assured the council the cameras won’t look inside the homes of nearby residents, who will be invited to inspect the system if they have concerns.

The city in February stepped up police patrols of the area to respond to residents’ concerns, but some of the beach areas can’t been seen from the street above, and Klein pointed out it can take 10 to 15 minutes for an officer to walk down to the beach to see if anyone’s there.

“Obviously, the beach camera’s not a replacement for police officers,” Klein told the council. “We see this as a tool to assist us in knowing when to send our resources to certain places.”

While the cameras would always monitor the beaches at night, they’ll specifically alert police when people walk down the beach paths after hours.

Councilwoman Nancy Gardner, whose district includes Corona del Mar, said the feedback she’s heard on the added police patrols has been good, and the cameras can only help those efforts.

“The e-mails I’ve seen have been, ‘This is great, we really appreciate it, we feel there’s less people hanging around in the evening,’ ” she said.

She often sees evidence of fires at Little Corona, which doesn’t have fire rings. And after a dry winter, uncontrolled fires are an even bigger concern, Gardner said.

Residents had been requesting permit parking on some streets near the beach to stop crime, but city leaders opted to wait and see how the increased patrols, cameras and other measures worked first.

Gardner said some residents she’s heard from say parking restrictions probably won’t be necessary because the steps the city has taken have made the area safer.