VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As winter weather lingers, Virginia Beach police are already preparing for spring — a season that in the past brought an increase in violence at the Oceanfront, according to Police Chief Paul Neudigate.
The department is reviewing new strategies aimed at preventing incidents ahead of the busy spring season, particularly around “Week 17,” a period that typically draws large crowds.
Video from April of last year shows chaos erupting during an unpermitted pop-up event at 17th Street Park, when someone pulled out a gun and began firing. People ran in panic as police officers were around the crowd. Eleven Virginia Beach police officers were nearby at the time.
Between April 25 and April 27 last year, police made 50 arrests, seized 28 guns and reported three people shot.
Neudigate said the majority of Oceanfront shootings occur during early spring events, not later in the summer.
“The vast majority of those shooting incidents occur during our spring activities,” Neudigate said. “Once we get into May or June, we have very few incidents of violence at the Oceanfront, so this is where we need to get our handle on what is occurring.”
One challenge police faced last year was unpermitted pop-up events promoted on social media. Neudigate said the department has already seen similar events advertised for April.
To curb large, unsanctioned gatherings, police and city leaders are considering several options, including closing city-owned parking lots earlier and increasing parking prices during high-risk weekends.
Another proposal would move the city’s curfew for minors from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m.
City Manager Patrick Duhaney said similar measures have worked in other cities.
“If you look at cities that have struggled with this, they’ve been able to become successful when they created a separate minor curfew,” Duhaney said. “For example, Washington, D.C., with the issues they were having at the Wharf last year. When they implemented a curfew for folks under 18 who were unaccompanied, they were able to turn that around.”
The proposed curfew would include exceptions, such as minors traveling home from work or attending religious gatherings.
Some city leaders say changing the curfew could help reduce problems, citing past success in other parts of Virginia Beach, including Lynnhaven Mall.
“We want to get things under control,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said. “Lynnhaven Mall is a good example. It was problematic there for a long time, and then we put some restrictions in place, and I think it worked beautifully.”
The proposed curfew change is expected to return to City Council for consideration at its Feb. 17 meeting.
VBPD are also tracking House Bill 778, legislation that would expand local authority to address unpermitted pop-up events that pose public safety risks by establishing pop-up zones.
Inside these pop-up zones, it's proposed that localities would be able to declare the area a gun-free zone, establish temporary speed limit reductions, and establish occupancy limits on public and private property.
The bill requires a locality to give notification of a pop-up event zone through an online webpage, providing as much advance notice as is practicable.
However, on Friday, the bill was continued to next year.
"Although we are disappointed to see HB778 continued to 2027, we look forward to working with local and state stakeholders to ensure HB778 is 'prime time' ready for the legislature next session," Del. Virgil Thornton, who introduced the bill, said. "Ultimately, our office is committed to ensuring our localities have the tools they need to keep members of our community safe."
