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An increase in police presence on the beach stirs up mixed feelings

Faith Duran, who is visiting from Austin is relieved by the change, but also cautious.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Spring Breakers who are familiar with Corpus Christi, as well as those visiting, had a beautiful day to spend some time in the sun.

What they may not see eye to eye on though, is the increase in police presence on the beach and the roads.

Faith Duran, who is visiting from Austin is relieved by the change, but also cautious.

Duran said the heightened police presence "makes me feel pretty safe I just want the police to be pretty fair around here and not, just treat everybody, the way that you know equal and stuff." However, Venus Dunn and Payton Myers find it to be more of a bother, especially on the JFK causeway.

"It's really annoying," Dunn said. Meyers added, "Them being at the beginning and end, if you go even a little bit over the speed limit, they're all like 'gotcha'. It got me yesterday on SPID. So yeah, I'm kind of annoyed by it, but I guess it is kind of safer."

Kelly Dow-Wright saw three vehicles pulled over on the side of the road during her fifteen minute commute to work.

"It freaked me out when I saw three cops coming to work this morning or this afternoon, but other than that, it's nice to feel that they're here to protect us, and our safety, and stuff like that," Dow-Wright said.

Although responses have been mixed, a group of friends Jolene Nichols, Tonya Colbert, and Yessica were unanimous in their opinion.

"I'm really appreciative of it. We live on the island and usually, you know, it's pretty quiet around here. Everyone, all of us, are pretty laid back," said Nichols.

Colbert's top concern is the safety of her neighbors and community. "Coming from a place of very tranquil, peaceful neighbors, like we all know each other. Then all of a sudden you multiply that times I don't even know how much, and it gets a little overwhelming, with traffic and just the presence, so I love having them here. It makes me feel safe."

Nicole Cortez and her husband have been residents for six years. With their nine-month-old baby boy, having more sets of eyes gives them a whole new perspective when it comes to the safety of her family. "I think we really appreciate all that our police do for us. And so, we feel happy and appreciative that there's an increased presence for Spring Break, just cause things can get crazy so we appreciate it, our family. "

The Corpus Christi Police Department is asking the public to pack some patience before heading down to the beach, as congestive traffic is inevitable during this time of year.

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