HAMPTON, Va. — If you come out to Buckroe Beach in Hampton over the summer, you may notice something new.
“This is the most positive thing in three years," said Hampton resident Barry Jones.
Jones lives less than a block away from what the city of Hampton is calling the Shoreline Operations Station. He said it’s needed.
“We see parties, drug use, bad behavior on the boardwalk. Tends to escalate as it gets darker," said Jones.
Watch: Hampton city leaders vow to crack down on gun violence
The city posted pictures on Facebook of the station operating, which opened over Memorial Day weekend.
It’s a collaboration between Hopeful Hampton, which is part of the city’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Opportunities, and Hampton Police.
The office’s community engagement supervisor, John Davis, said the station is meant to increase public safety awareness at the beach and increase interactions with the community.
“If you have young people out there, we’re looking to engage them in a number of different activities," Davis explained. "If you have, God forbid, a lost child or lost items or need some type of first aid assistance, the operations center is there to provide resources.”
Watch: Hampton hosts all-day football game to curb community and youth violence
Hampton resident William Taylor, though, worries the station could have unintended consequences.
“Some people could interpret a police officer looking at them funny and now you’ve got a problem. It just seems unnecessary," said Taylor.
The station is in response to ongoing concerns about safety at the beach, highlighted recently by a large crowd, which can be seen in multiple videos circulating online.
Watch: 'Pop-up party' with 400 students at Buckroe Beach leads to multiple fights
As News 3 reported, police say 400 kids were at the beach for a pop-up party and multiple fights broke out.
News 3 talked with Chris Moore about the incident and the new station. He runs an organization that works to prevent youth violence in Hampton and Newport News.
“Any time I’m called about a gun violence situation or any type of disruption like that, it drives me. It creates a fire in me to want to get boots on the ground and talk to the people, talk to the children more," said Moore.
Watch: Youth Violence Prevention Week kicks off in Hampton
As of Tuesday, the new station was a temporary tent, but the plan was to eventually build a permanent structure. How much that will cost and where the money will come from was still being worked out as of Tuesday.
The station will be operating throughout the summer.
