While Freakfest was plagued with riots and violence in 2006, officials say the city’s annual Halloween bash is on its way to becoming as safe as any other weekend night on State Street.
Madison Police Department Lt. Dave McCaw said because of the police presence, Freakfest is “more safe than any other day on State Street, any other Saturday night,” which is a major transformation from what the street used to look like on Halloween.
Before former mayor Dave Cieslewicz implemented Freakfest, McCaw said Halloween on State Street was a dangerous event with riots, looting and overcrowding.
“It’s certainly [showed] a downward trend of Halloween being some unsafe event,” McCaw said. “If anything, it’s becoming a much safer event.”
In 2011, the Madison Police Department arrested and cited 32 people, which was a decrease from 2010 when there were 43 arrests and citations, according to MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain.
While Halloween on State Street may be safer, there are still arrests and citations for open intoxicants, violations of the city’s glass ban on State Street, and disorderly conduct.
McCaw said special events team officers are trained to recognize possible problematic scenarios early on, which is key to maintaining a safe atmosphere on State Street.
“The issue that we stress with our special events team is detecting these things before they become arrests,” McCaw said.
When looking for arrests at Freakfest, special events team officers are aware of incidents that will lead to violence, such as people throwing objects, fighting in the streets, and behavior that could be classified as sexual assault, as well as destruction to private property.
Police also keep an eye out for people who put themselves in danger, such as an intoxicated individual who is passed out alone in the streets, according to McCaw. But McCaw said police rarely cite an individual who is extremely inebriated.
“It’s a rare beast that I’ve ever put a ticket in a passed-out person’s pocket on the way to the ambulance,” McCaw said.
Although many students equate Freakfest with the annual Mifflin Street Block Party held in May, Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said Freakfest’s focus on live entertainment and not on alcohol consumption greatly differentiates it from the Mifflin Street Block Party, at which police reported 393 arrests and citations in 2012.
“One of the biggest issues is that the current [Mifflin block party] is perceived as only alcohol, whereas for Freakfest...there is a lot more going on than just drinking.”
McCaw also said the lack of alcohol at Freakfest makes it an easier event to monitor.
“The [police] department’s opinion is that the alcohol-fueled events are the ones we can’t control,” McCaw said.
