Hamptons police crackdown irks locals

NEW YORK, July 28 (UPI) -- Frustrated residents of East Hampton, N.Y., say they think town officials are stifling development by increasing regulations on fun festivities.

Some residents said they believe authorities started buckling down around Memorial Day, when a number of gallery operators were ticketed for offering alcoholic beverages to patrons without approval, the New York Post reported Monday.

A growing number of locals say town officials are trying to live in the past because they are afraid of change.

"There are some people here who want to go back to the way it was. Well, the way it is is not the way it was," East Hampton Chamber of Commerce President Marina Van said.

Some city officials argue they are trying to maintain the town's civilized atmosphere.

"I don't see it as an issue of turning back the clock. We have a core business area that is very desirable," village administrator Larry Cantwell told the Post. "If we lose that, these merchants will lose their desire to be here."