Point Pleasant Beach police officers are cracking down hard on dog owners for bringing their pets onto the boardwalk, poo or no poo.

Officers have handed out more than 40 tickets in three weeks after beefing up patrols amid recurring sightings of dog feces on the mile-long boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul M. Kanitra said.

Violators face a $150 fine, regardless of whether their dog actually poops, the mayor told NJ Advance Media on Thursday.

“It’s virtually impossible to catch someone in the act,” Kanitra said.

Dogs are banned from the boardwalk under a longstanding municipal ordinance.

Kanitra said the crackdown began about day or two before Point Pleasant Beach police, on Feb. 3, posted a photo of dog feces on the department’s Facebook page.

Police warned via the post that “extra patrols” were being assigned to the boardwalk to “actively enforce our ordinance.”

“We share in the public’s disgust and outrage that someone would allow this to occur,” police said on Facebook.

Of the more than 40 tickets issued, Kanitra said only two have been handed out to residents of Point Pleasant Beach. He said he did not know whether officers in some cases are letting off locals with a warning.

Point Pleasant Beach police did not respond to a request for comment.

Kanitra said that whether or not a dog actually poops is besides the point.

“A lot of times, when you pick up after a dog, there’s still a residue,” he said.

Kanitra, who took office Jan. 1, said his administration is making a priority of enforcing so-called quality of life ordinances, such as the boardwalk dog ban.

He said reports of “excrement on the boardwalk” had increased over the past year, but that he crackdown seems to be working.

“We are certainly seeing an improvement,” Kanitra said.

Kanitra added that he has no objection to dogs.

“I am a dog lover,” he said, adding that he regularly brings his dog - Jetty, a lab retriever, to Maryland Avenue Beach, where dogs are allowed off-season.

“That’s the right place for them. The boardwalk isn’t,” he said.

Point Pleasant Beach is home to 4,500 and covers 1.4 square miles.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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