Fredonia Police Chief Bradley Meyers said Monday the damages and arrests around the village after Fred Fest were no worse than in other years.
"It was the usual disorderly conduct, open container, public urination. Nothing too unusual this year," Meyers said in a telephone interview.
Fred Fest, in its 32nd year, is an annual festival hosted by SUNY Fredonia for students to celebrate the end of the semester with music and revelry.
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OBSERVER Photo by Courtney Gfroerer
Ecstatic fans greet Lupe Fiasco, American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur, during his performance this weekend at Fredonia Fest.
According to police, between Thursday through Sunday, 101 event-related charges were placed against 49 individuals.
"If there was an increase in arrests, it was more likely because we had more people on," Meyers said.
Meyers said the police department made the decision to increase personnel for the event this year so the department could respond with more flexibility.
"It gave us the ability to make a few more arrests," Meyers said, because officers were able to process more paperwork while still having enough officers free to respond to incoming calls.
"In prior years, we had to stay on the road to continue to take calls," instead of processing charges, Meyers said.
On the high number of arrests, Meyers noted some individuals were given multiple charges. "If you have someone underage, for example, who is walking with a beer in their hand, and then throws the cup down on the ground when he sees an officer approach, that individual could face three charges, one for underage drinking, one for open container, and one for littering."
In total, 65 of the 101 charges were related to underage possession of alcohol and open container. Sixteen of the charges were for littering, four for obscene language or gestures, three each for fighting or resisting arrest, two for sewer ordinance violations. The remaining number of charges were also related to other types of disorderly conduct or alcohol violations.
