Before the first day of summer arrived Wednesday, Rye police had already given 41 citations to people for drinking on town beaches.

"Really aggressive," is how Police Chief Kevin Walsh describes his department's enforcement of ordinances that prohibit glass and alcohol on the beaches. He said police have permission from private landowners to go onto their property to covertly watch for public drinking and will again team with New Hampshire Liquor Enforcement this summer to put undercover officers on beaches.

"There are places to have alcoholic beverages and the beaches aren't it," Walsh said.

With the summer season ahead of them, Walsh and other area police chiefs discussed their alcohol-enforcement plans. Those plans, they said, ensure safety and compliance with laws and getting the word out now should serve as a deterrent.

In the first weekend of June, Rye police cited 24 people for drinking on beaches. Their ages vary from early 20s to late 50s, some were visitors and others live in town. The tickets carry $50 fines and the names of those cited for beach drinking are published online, in Rye police logs, so the infractions will remain memorialized on the internet.

Anyone under 21 caught drinking will be charged with unlawful possession of alcohol and that charge affects driving records and insurance costs, Walsh warned.

The Rye chief said enforcement comes at the request of the Board of Selectmen and the public. He said beach drinking leads to litter, bad decisions and health and safety problems. Younger people drinking sometimes become "rude and disrespectful" and he's heard from families who packed up and left because of it, Walsh said.

According to the chief, people go to great lengths to hide their drinking, including drinking spirits from containers for non-alcoholic drinks and buying "wraps" that look like soft drink labels they wrap around beer cans.

"People work hard at concealing it," Walsh said. "Imagine if they put that energy into something else?"

Walsh said his officers conduct regular uniformed patrols on town beaches and will look inside drink containers while they're out there. The undercover officers, he said, will look like they're sunbathing or swimming, but will be looking for liquor and radioing information to other officers to come write tickets.

"The goal is to keep the beaches healthy," Walsh said.

Hampton Deputy Police Chief David Hobbs said his department is proactive with patrolling beaches for alcohol and other substances "because a lot of the issues we deal with can be substance related." He said alcohol consumption on the beach can lead to medical emergencies and "the ocean can be a hazardous place for someone who is impaired."

"If we address it, we make it a more family-friendly place," Hobbs said. "For the most part it really is."

Hobbs said Hampton officers "get out there on the sand" looking for illegal behavior on ATVs, on foot and on horseback. If they see drinking, he said, they'll issue summonses. If someone drinking is underage, they'll be arrested, he vowed. If someone is overly impaired, they'll be taken into protective custody, Hobbs said.

"We feel that by getting out there and addressing the issue early, we prevent issues later on," said Hampton's deputy chief. "It's about people being safe."

In New Castle, Police Chief Don White said the town had some problems with people drinking at Great Island Common about seven years ago, so enforcement was stepped up and the problems have all but vanished. He said staff at the park wear bright yellow shirts that say "staff" on the back and are assigned to walk through the public areas.

"That seems to help," White said.

That effort is reinforced by patrols of police officers on a mountain bike, motorcycle and cruiser who also regularly patrol the park and beaches, he said.

At the park entrance, White said, it's posted that alcohol and glass are prohibited and "coolers are subject to random searches." He said occasionally the "red cup syndrome" occurs, when people drink alcohol from red Solo cups at the park or beaches. In those instances, he said, officers or park staff talk to the people and the problem is solved.

"We've been pretty fortunate," said the New Castle chief. "We're pretty family oriented and right now it's under control."

In Portsmouth, drinking is prohibited in public parks including the riverside Prescott Park where, said Police Chief David Mara, his officers will be enforcing that prohibition during Prescott Park Arts Festival concerts. One officer is assigned to work a detail at the concerts and officers assigned to the downtown beat are in the area if needed, he said.

"We don't see it as a big problem here," Mara said. "We're not seeing drunk, rowdy crowds. But we'll enforce it if we see it."

Mara said he's spoken with City Manager John Bohenko, who now oversees park operations, and has assured that if police see public drinking, "We are going to take action."

"The word has to get out that it's not going to be tolerated," Mara said, adding if public drinking is unaddressed, it can turn into bigger problems.

The chief said police on festival details are "not going to be wading through the crowd" during concerts looking for alcohol and "it's not up to the police to look into coolers and cups."

"That's up to the staff" of the arts festival he said. "It has to be a coordinated effort. The police officer is there as a deterrent and so people feel safe if there's an emergency. If someone sees someone drinking I expect the officer to address the issue."

Mara said in Manchester, where he was formerly police chief, concert venues have staff that walk through the venues to help patrol for infractions.

No citations for drinking were issued during the first two PPAF concerts last week, according to the public police log.

Police Capt. Frank Warchol reported that in 2016, Portsmouth officers issued five citations for public drinking in Market Square, Plaza 800, the Union Cemetery and at the railroad tracks. During the first six months of 2017, Warchol reported, Portsmouth police have issued eight citations for public drinking to people who were along Middle Road, in Market Square, the Vaughan Mall, Goodwin Park and the Sagamore Avenue cemetery.