May 18, 2020
In the weeks leading up to the May 16th Re-open Delaware event, the Rehoboth Beach Police Department planned for the event to ensure the safety of the residents and visitors of Rehoboth Beach while protecting the First Amendment rights of those involved.
At around noon on Saturday, Re-Open Delaware hosted its first amendment event at the Bandstand in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. While it is difficult to provide an accurate count of attendees due to the transient foot traffic through this popular area, we estimate that there were between 100-200 attendees. The majority of those who were in attendance contributed to making this a safe event as they were civil, respectful, and orderly.
By planning for this event, we were able to ensure that the appropriate law enforcement resources were available in the Bandstand area and on the entire Boardwalk and beach corridor. These resources allowed us to successfully promote public safety during a rapidly changing event and educate those in attendance to the regulations of the most recent Executive Orders of the Governor and the Mayor.
No arrests have been made or citations issued since the beach and Boardwalk were opened for exercise on Friday. One of the most important tools an officer has at their disposal is discretion. Even in the face of the few who tried to antagonize our officers into a response, we maintained a professional demeanor. We are very proud of our officers and all the members of law enforcement who assisted our agency, as they responded with discretion making public safety and order our unified priority.
The Rehoboth Beach Police would like to thank all those who put public safety before themselves on Saturday.