Security to Be Tightened for Labor Day Revelry : Holiday: CHP will be hunting drunken drivers, while various agencies will focus on beaches and parks. At John Wayne Airport, travelers are urged not to dawdle.

Beware holiday revelers, beach-goers and impatient travelers. Labor Day weekend fun will be accompanied by stepped-up freeway patrols, mounted deputies in some of the county’s more-popular parks and more officers keeping the peace at the beach.

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The California Highway Patrol’s Westminster division will nearly double the patrol force beginning this morning in an effort to stem drunken-driving accidents and will be on the lookout for careless drivers without seat belts, motorcycle helmets or proper child seats.

“It’s a three-day weekend. It’s the last weekend of the summer, and everybody wants to get that last mini-vacation or party or get-together with family members in prior to summer ending or going back to school,” CHP Officer Denise Medina said.

“The weather is very hot. Unfortunately, that only increases the number of people going to the beach or going to a friend’s house,” she said. “It’s so warm, they may not realize the amount of alcohol they’re consuming.”

In 1994, 1,488 people died on California’s freeways in alcohol-related accidents, Medina said.

The CHP in South County also is putting extra units on the road.

“We’re just telling people to slow down and buckle up and get there safely,” Sgt. Roger Fuller said.

In Santa Ana, the Police Department’s anti-cruising detail will hit the streets in greater numbers to cite drivers who repeatedly circle city thoroughfares, Sgt. Bob Clark said.

In Huntington Beach, a full detail of eight officers and six civilian volunteers will be hitting the sand Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Lt. Dan Johnson, adding that six extra officers will patrol Main Street on Sunday night.

Some of the county’s popular spots--Irvine Regional Park, Mile Square Regional Park and Sunset Beach--will also see beefed up patrols, including mounted deputies, Sheriff’s Lt. Lynn Nehring said.

“We estimate 25,000 people at Irvine Park, 20,000 at Mile Square, and 30,000 at Sunset Beach. We’re just there to prevent any problems that could come up due to the large crowds. . . . We just try to assure the free and unrestricted use of the county parks and beaches during the celebrated holiday.”

With the recent heat wave, the county’s beaches are likely to be packed.

Huntington Beach State Park plans to staff all 14 lifeguard towers and will have a full complement of beach patrols and a lifeguard boat in the water, Lifeguard Bill Badashoff said.

“If it’s a really hot day inland, we’re probably going to expect 40,000 people here in a day, and they do come any way they can,” he said. “They drive in, and then when the lots fill, they walk in, bike in, jog in . . . any way they can.”

For air travelers, Labor Day weekend isn’t on the list of five heaviest holidays for John Wayne Airport, but spokeswoman Pat Wares said departing passengers should plan to arrive early anyway, particularly those looking for long-term parking.

“We do recommend that people wishing to park long term proceed directly to the long-term lot on Main Street because often with the holiday weekend, the lots adjacent to the terminal will be filled,” she said, adding that shuttles run every 15 minutes from the Main Street lot.

Last Labor Day weekend, more than 88,000 people passed through John Wayne Airport, and air travel at the airport is up 10% over last year, she said.

Airport-goers should also tag all their luggage and not leave it unattended, Wares said. Threats by the Unabomber earlier this year prompted heightened security measures that are still in place, and untagged luggage is likely to arouse suspicion.

“Although it will be busy at the airport, it should be a very smooth pace for travelers,” she said. “There are heightened security precautions in place, but none of those will affect travelers at this time.”