College students spending their spring break in Texas may have a new creeper watching them on the beach this year, except this one will be flying hundreds of feet above them.
Law enforcement officials in South Padre Island recently purchased two drones with video recording capability, a move that South Padre Island spokesperson Gary Ainsworth said will help to monitor the crowds on the beach below.
“It gives us a bird’s-eye view that we wouldn’t have before,” said Ainsworth, in an interview with The Washington Post. “If you have an incident in a large crowd and you’re sending two officers into the middle of it, they’re vastly outnumbered, and that’s before they have any idea of what’s going on.”
The purchasing of drones is just one of several steps South Padre Island town officials are taking for what is likely to be their biggest influx of college students yet. Department officials are expecting as many as 75,000 students to descend on the small island town over the next month, a sharp increase from previous years. The increase is likely due in part to a new law designed to restrict alcohol consumption in Panama City Beach, Florida, another immensely popular spring break destination for college students. The City Council of Panama City Beach recently passed a new ordinance that bans alcohol consumption on public beaches during spring break.
Unsurprisingly, Ainsworth also noted that town officials were concerned about potential damage to the drones from other flying objects.
“How high can someone realistically chuck a can of beer?” mused Ainsworth. “That’s just something you have to expect when you have that many people letting loose on a beach and they notice a robot hovering over them. I probably would have tried to knock one out of the sky with a beer can when I was in college.”
While many students would most likely prefer certain portions of their spring break not to be captured on video, the drones are only one of many sources that may potentially catch them in an unflattering moment. Many tour companies that sell spring break packages now require students to sign waivers allowing company employees to photograph and video them in public, with the purpose of using the footage in promotional videos. Additionally, the livestreaming of events by bars and clubs is also becoming commonplace in many spring break destinations.
Something to consider if you find yourself on the beach in South Padre Island, Texas in the coming weeks.
