Video: Post-parade bar lines in Morristown
By Kevin Coughlin
That’s 20 arrests, 59 tickets for local ordinance violations, and 14 people hospitalized.
Preliminary stats from parade weekend suggest Morristown police and assisting departments were pretty busy once again dealing with revelers who reveled too hard.
There also were eight crashes. Morristown Emergency Medical Services and Atlantic Health Ambulance Corp. responded to 22 calls, including one involving a pedestrian, and they transported 14 people to the hospital.
These numbers cover the period between 7 am on Saturday, March 12 (the day of the annual Morris County St. Patrick’s Parade) and 3 am on Sunday, March 13, 2016.
There were no injuries in the crashes, no drunk driving arrests, and no violations by any of the liquor establishments, said Morristown Police Lt. Stuart Greer.
The pedestrian accident involved a 9-year-old who ran in front of a car that was moving at slow speed. Fortunately, injuries only amounted to scratches. The child, not the motorist, was at fault, Greer said.
The parade is an alcohol-free, family friendly event. But it draws thousands who also come to patronize Morristown’s many bars–some of which open for business on Saturday morning, and set up tents to handle overflow crowds.
Troublemakers appear to be a tiny percentage of the total who just want to have a good time. Yet concerns are sufficient to bring a large contingent of police from Morristown and neighboring communities to keep order every year.
The parade committee, which donates proceeds to charity, has contributed money to Morristown to help defray police costs in recent years. Greer did not have police overtime figures for the weekend.
Mayor Tim Dougherty lauded efforts by police, with special kudos for undercover officers who worked in town over the weekend.
“Our law enforcement takes the necessary actions to ensure the safety of the many residents and visitors who enjoyed our festivities throughout the day and night…it was an incredible day for Morristown,” said the Mayor, asserting “record numbers” of parade-goers attended the parade.
Here’s how the arrests break down, based on information from Lt. Greer:
Arrest Information
- Disorderly Conduct 6
- Defiant Trespassing 3
- Simple Assault 7
- Aggravated Assault 1
- Underage Possession of Alcohol 4
- Resisting Arrest 1
- Possession of CDS 1
- Possession of Fraudulent ID 1
Total number of custodial arrests: 20
(Some arrested individuals had multiple charges)
Local Ordinance Violation Information
- Urinating in Public 12
- Drinking in Public / Open Container 44
- Soliciting without a License 2
- Littering in Public 1
Total Number of Violations 59
Total Number of EMS Responses 22
- Intoxicated Person 12
- Fall Victim 2
- Assault Victim 3
- Medical Emergency 1
- Pedestrian Struck 1
- Other / Unspecified 2
Patients Transported to Hospitals 14
- Police keep an eye on lines outside Sona Thirteen after St. Patrick’s Parade. Photo by Berit Ollestad
ARRESTS UP FROM LAST YEAR, DOWN FROM 2014
By comparison, police made 16 arrests, issued 30 tickets and responded to six motor vehicle crashes during the same period in 2015.
Nineteen of those summonses were for drinking in public; eight were for public urination, a ticket that carries a $500 fine upon conviction. Seven arrests were for disorderly conduct.
Ambulance crews were slightly busier during the 2015 parade weekend. Eighteen people were transported to hospitals; EMT personnel responded to 25 calls, of which nine involved intoxicated persons.
Police and EMTs were even busier in 2014. Police arrested 29 persons and issued 34 tickets, 27 people were transported to hospitals, and there were eight motor vehicle crashes.
Of those arrested in 2014, 11 were charged with disorderly conduct and nine were charged with defiant trespassing. Ambulance crews answered 36 calls, and treated 21 people for intoxication. Tickets for local ordinance violations included 19 for drinking in public and 15 for public urination.
The high-water mark in recent times was 2011, when 46 tickets were issued for public urination. That year, police wrote 135 summonses, including 88 for drinking in public.
Not really bad at all when you consider that there were what, 70,000 – 80,000 people downtown?