The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is planning to have at least two deputies on patrol at Silver Beach each day this summer to help ensure peace is maintained.

Following fights that shut down Silver Beach County Park on Tuesday night, Sheriff Chuck Heit tells us the department is committed to keeping the attraction a safe place for families. He says the department’s two school liaison deputies will be assigned to Silver Beach throughout the season.

“We had the normal deputy for Tuesday, but we’ll look at that plan,” Heit said. “Obviously, with the temperature and in the beginning, we’ll continue to look at that. We have two full-time assigned and then we have other staff throughout the summer to help with the busier times.”

With the school year not yet over for some districts, Heit said only one of the liaison deputies was available Tuesday. However, he did have a lieutenant head down to the beach prior to the fights breaking out.

Heit says the sheriff’s department will continue adjusting its approach as the summer continues.

“The county has increased cameras. We work with the park director and park staff for looking at different events. Obviously, hindsight’s 20/20. If we had predicted that on a Tuesday, we’d have had more, but we’ll continue to look at that, work with the parks and our partners in the St. Joe Department of Public Safety as well to continue to modify and do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Heit says the individuals involved in Tuesday’s fights appear to have been a mix of locals and non-locals, although police can’t always monitor exactly who’s there because many visitors park elsewhere.

As summer events are held, the weather stays warm, and circumstances change, he says the sheriff’s department will send in support staff and more deputies as needed.