Community Corner

Fewer Arrests Reported During Musikfest 2012

Bethlehem Police say only 43 people were arrested during this year's festival, a considerable drop from 2011's total of 81.

 

There were 43 total arrests at Musikfest this year -- a little more than half of the arrests from a year ago and well below average for the annual 10-day festival, the reported in its blog Tuesday.

While drinking offenses remained about the same as a year ago, the number of disorderly conduct charges – generally an indication of fighting – was a quarter of what it had been in 2011, police said.

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Under a between ArtsQuest and the city, there was a reduction in total police presence at the festival, though staffing was to remain virtually the same during peak festival hours during nights and weekends.

However, there were a quarter fewer officers on duty during off-peak daytime hours and police were no longer called on to provide security to non-gated venues during overnight hours, which had been customary in years past.

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”Public safety is always a priority in the city. Bethlehem is the safest city in Pennsylvania and we want to ensure that Musikfest is the safest festival in Pennsylvania,” Mayor John Callahan was quoted as saying in the police blog. 

“If you are going to welcome over a million people to Bethlehem, we certainly want them to feel safe.”

Public drunkenness, underage drinking and disorderly conduct are typically the most common offenses at Musikfest and that held true in 2012: 22 people were arrested for public drunkenness, 19 were arrested for underage drinking and eight people were arrested for disorderly conduct.

A year ago, there were 33 disorderly conduct arrests, 21 underage drinking arrests and 19 public drunkenness arrests.

Last year’s festival was marred by the of a teenager on Main Street.


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