York Lifeguard Chief Says Police Won’t Stop Beach Drinking

The town’s longtime chief lifeguard said he may leave his post at the end of the summer over what he described as town leadership turning a blind eye to blatant public drinking on the beach.

Jeff Patten said he has warned town officials for more than 10 years he was concerned about drinking on the beach.

He said it’s common to see beachgoers walk onto the sand carrying boxes of Bud Light and Budweiser with the logo in plain sight, and no one is doing anything about it.

Patten wrote the lifeguard department should be placed under the purview of the Fire Department.

He pointed to other fire departments, like in Ogunquit, that oversee their local lifeguards.

Town officials, however, say their call statistics do not reflect a problem with beach drinking.