DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The sand on Daytona Beach is quickly filling up with thousands of spring breakers; from college students to families vacationing. The beaches are busy and so are those patroling them.
"We gear up for spring break. We are ready for it and that includes holding people late if we need to cover the beach," Captain Ray Manchester said Tuesday.
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Every beach patrol officer on staff is on duty working longer hours to keep the beaches safe.
Local 6 crews rode along with Manchester so he could point out the biggest concerns during spring break.
Booze is banned, but that rule is often broken. "It's our biggest issue, but with spring break it's even a bigger issue because it's known for partying," Manchester said.
Beach patrol officers said drinking is already becoming a problem and it didn't take long for our camera's to catch it.
With tens of thousands of visitors headed to the beach thieves have plenty of targets to choose from.
Beach patrol officers said criminals watch beachgoers from a distance and once they head for the water, theives head for their personal belongings left behind.
Beach officers want tourists to return home with everything they came with. "You have to take turns. You have to have people watch your stuff. You just can't leave a blanket over it and hope it's still there when you get back," Manchester said.