Every year on the weekend before Memorial Day, Bolivar Peninsula transforms into a chaotic scene of wild partying during the event known as “Jeep Weekend.” Tens of thousands of visitors descend on the peninsula, turning the sandy shores into an out-of-control revelry. In 2023, emergency responders were pushed to their limits, with over 100 ambulance runs, 7 medical evacuations by helicopter, and 236 arrests. Law enforcement and medical agencies have been planning and preparing for months to try to get ahead of the unwelcome mayhem expected in 2024.
An all-agency meeting was held last week to review the planning for 2024 “Jeep Weekend.”
“We have to prepare for anything and everything that may come up,” said Major Ray Nolan of the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. This year’s massive coordination effort includes an EMS triage tent staffed by UTMB physician residents to handle medical issues on site. There will also be 7 ambulances in service, with Life Flight helicopters standing by and assistance from neighboring community EMS agencies.
On the law enforcement side, the sheriff’s department is bringing a large presence, with specialized teams, drones, aircraft surveillance, and dedicated DWI units patrolling the highways. The Texas Department of Public Safety is sending 22 units on Friday and 35 on Saturday. The Galveston County Constables will have 6 units on patrol as well.
Search and rescue efforts will involve 35-40 members of the Texas Search and Rescue organization (TEXSAR) patrolling the beaches and transporting people from incidents to the triage tent. The district attorney’s office is stationing 4 prosecutors on Bolivar to facilitate processing of arrests.
Emergency Services District District Manager Doug Saunders and Major Ray Nolan with the Galveston Sheriff Department.
Coordinating transportation and logistics is also crucial, with priority ferry boarding for first responders to allow them to access the peninsula quickly. Local community groups and volunteers are even providing meals to support the massive interagency staff required to try to keep order during the unwelcome “Jeep Weekend” chaos on Bolivar Peninsula.
[Apr-23-2024]
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We come to Crystal Beach twice a year for the last five years. It is great. We have been for the Jeepers weekend and enjoyed it. This year we came at the end of April, and we really saw an eye sore on the beach area, an RV that is broken, all windows are broken the side that is hidden from the ocean is all broken. Who knows what is going on there. We love to walk, not that everything is perfect but that is not acceptable. What is the people in charge thinking by letting this happen?
When you have obscene ,mostly “political” Flags ” what kind of crowd are you pandering to.It is embarrasing .The peninsula
looks its scummy .By the way, first calling it topless weekend did not help any.This IS NOT a duplicate comment Youre just censoring
When you have obscene ,mostly “political” Flags ” what kind of crowd are you pandering to.It is embarrasing .The peninsula
looks its scummy .By the way, first calling it topless weekend did not help any.
Thanks to to all the folk who are preparing for this terrible weekend. We do appreciate your efforts to keep our formerly unknown paradise safe. It would be delightful if none of those offenders had ever found us. However, gratitude to all who help in this endeavor.
I truly appreciate this coordinated effort to help property owners on the peninsula on this weekend. Kim is correct. This no longer has anything to do with jeeps. We feel we have to be at our beach house in order to protect our property, and our two grandsons are not allowed to be at our beach house on this weekend. With the outrageous amount of property taxes we are now paying, we are still forced to hunker down for three full days at our beach home and we have to ban our baby boys who would otherwise be at the beach with us on this weekend. I pray that God will protect all of our first responders all of the time, but especially on this weekend. Our state legislature needs to do something about this.
Zero tolerance during this event ! No refusal checkpoints.DPS on hwy 87. K-9 Patrol unts and all sheriff’s units on beach. Constables on side streets. Prayers to all LEO involved.
Please put up video cameras, make sure they have the alarm set to alert you when someone comes on your property. This Jeep weekend has become a horrible thing for those of us who do not participate in this or condone it. Stay safe and prayers to ALL first responders.
Not sure why this is called Jeep weekend anymore. Its not Jeep weekend on Bolívar Jeepers go to Surfside. Don’t read about chaos there. These folks cost the local economy serious dollars and destroy the residents personal property.
Hang on tight and be prepared! Carlis