JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Rockford Beach Park on the big river is reopening after being shut down for the past two weekends. The closures came after authorities had to address an increase in violence and even a drowning
The park is opening right now, but officials came up with a plan to deal with issues that started to ramp up at the start of the summer. From this weekend forward, there will now be a sheriff’s deputy on site during peak hours.
Jefferson County authorities shared that overcrowding was the common thread in the rising fights, stealing, assault, underage drinking, and a drowning. A 41-year-old St. Louis man drowned there July 3, after jumping from the bluff into the river.
Then just three weeks after that, officials had to rescue a man who got stuck on a rock shelf just above an area of Rocky rapids.
Overcrowding was making it much harder for authorities to get to visitors quickly in case of emergencies, bring in their equipment, or get ambulances through. The sheriff’s deputy will be on duty, watching out for too many people coming in and blocking roadways to park.
Law-enforcement, fire, and rescue teams, and Jefferson County officials got together to come up with this short term plan of increased supervision.
The park is open from dawn until dusk, but on a nice day, you might want to get here early, because there will be a deputy on site, and if there are too many people already hanging out, you might get turned away to avoid overcrowding.