Virginia Beach, Va. - Some locals hate it while others love it. No matter how you feel, Beach Week is here.
Problems in the past year make some people nervous, but police in Virginia Beach say they're prepared.
There were fights, gunshots and stabbings in 2013 during Beach Week.
That’s much different from last year when police were better prepared.
Bekah Vela, Family Values Manager said last year, "We had cops on every corner."
Vela said they closed their doors early last year to avoid problems and might do the same thing this year, but she said exact plans have not been decided.
Vela said, "After the sun went down we closed, we`re like we are not dealing with it."
Police said their plans this year are similar to last year’s.
Nobody wants a repeat of 2013, however some visitors say they are expecting to see fights and shootings.
Virginia Beach Police expect April 17 through the 19th and the 24th through the 26th will be their busiest times
They said they`re handing this week just like they would for any other major holiday.
"We up staff the police department, we have traffic plans in place, plans, not just one plan depending on how big the traffic, depending on what area of the resort is being inundated with traffic,” says Virginia Beach Police Department Chief Jim Cervera.
Extra officers are on hand to keep the peace with the 40,000 who are expected in town.
For the first time, they`re using this week as a recruiting tool.
"They are going to engage a lot of the young folks, remember these are college age folks that are looking for careers,” says Cervera.
The police recruiting team will be out in full force and they will have a booth set up.
Cervera said, "Some people may say the young folks that are coming aren`t coming here to look for a job but maybe they will be."
He said this is the perfect opportunity to reach many young people in hopes of talking to them about a job in law enforcement.
