Genevieve Liebgott

The summer before last, I went with a friend to her town beach in Belmont. She is a Belmont resident. We were at the beach for approximately one to two hours after the posted closing time. While we were there, a police officer arrived and asked to check our identification. After reviewing our licenses, the officer informed us that we were trespassing and stated that we were trespassing and needed to leave and "not to come back." He did not provide any written warning, citation, or formal notice, and his instructions were vague. He did not clarify whether this meant we were permanently banned from the beach or only for that evening. Since that incident, we have not returned to the beach because we were unsure of the meaning of the officer’s statement and did not want to risk getting into trouble. Out of caution and respect for the rules, we have stayed away from the beach entirely. We would like to be able to return to the beach again.