Crime Plummets at Beaches Since Debut of Curfews : Law enforcement: State says more families and groups are having fun without alcohol in year since 10 p.m. closure began.

Crime is down by about 45% at two state beaches where curfews were imposed a year ago, officials said Thursday.

A state review of Bolsa Chica State and Huntington Beach State beaches says reports of vandalism, assaults and other criminal activity have fallen off significantly, according to Donald Ito, local superintendent for the state Department of Parks and Recreation.

A year ago, amid growing concerns over crime, the state placed a 10 p.m. curfew on the beaches that previously closed at midnight.

“It’s changed--we’re noticing more families and groups enjoying themselves and not needing alcohol to have a good time,” Ito said.

The review compared beach crimes reported during 1991 to activity in 1993, after the curfew went into effect. Within the overall 45% drop in crime, alcohol-related crimes were reduced nearly 70%.

The total number of crimes reported at state beaches was not immediately available, Ito said. Meanwhile, police officials in Huntington Beach said Thursday that lawlessness has also declined at city beaches, where curfews were imposed following the state’s lead.

Huntington Beach Police Lt. Charles Poe said 39 crime reports were filed for such activity as grand theft auto, assault and curfew violation in the year before the city’s beach curfew was enacted. That number has dwindled to 14 for the three-mile beach area, Poe said.

“It would certainly mean that our prediction for less calls on the beach with a curfew was true,” Poe said.

Curfews “have been beneficial for us,” said Huntington Beach Lifeguard Capt. Bill Richardson. “We’re seeing less graffiti, less fights, and we’re experiencing less problems with law enforcement situations.”

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The curfew on state beaches went into effect last April 1, at a time when urban crime such as gang activity and graffiti had been spreading to the seashore.

Officials in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Seal Beach, fearing that vandals would migrate to their communities when the two state beaches were closed early, also imposed beach curfews.

But a dispute arose last October when the California Coastal Commission advised 73 cities and counties along the state’s 1,100-mile coastline that such closures are illegal without state approval. The commission said the state would not approve curfews.

The commission’s desire to guarantee access to public beaches collided with Orange County elected officials who argued for local control to ensure the public’s safety.

A peaceful truce was reached after several meetings between commission and Orange County city officials. However, no resolution has been reached, and state Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) has introduced legislation that would allow the nightly closures to continue.

While law enforcement is clearly pleased by the curfew’s results, not everybody is completely happy.

Merchants who agree the curfew has reduced problems also complain that their business is suffering because fewer people stroll the beaches and boardwalks after dark.

“It certainly lowered the number of customers here,” said an employee at the Jack-In-The-Box restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. “It has decreased our business.”

North of the fast-food restaurant, Akira Fukuda, the store manager at Jack’s Surf Shop, was more philosophical.

“It’s a good call,” Fukuda said. “As far as we’re concerned, having the minors loiter around at longer hours doesn’t do us any good. We’re glad to see that the kids are off the beach and the streets at a certain time. In the long run, the kids hopefully will understand that it’s a good decision.”