Increased police presence for Monterey New Years Eve celebrations
UPDATED 12/30/16 – 7:21 PM – “Number one, number one customer safety and my employees safety is number one.” – said Paul Whitecross the owner of Britannia Arms a bar in downtown Monterey. Whitecross and his staff have a ton of fun on tap for New Years Eve weekend, including drinks, music and – “I’ve got a full security staff working, beefed up because it’s New Years Eve” said Whitecross. “We’re obviously gonna be a lot busier than normal nights.” The bar is just one part of an entire Alvarado Street New Years celebration. Many people are heading to First Night, a family friendly, alcohol-free event. The Monterey Police Department is taking every precaution necessary to make sure the family friendly event is fun and safe for all. “We are going to be increasing our staffing on New Years Eve” said sergeant Ethan Andrews with the Monterey Police Department not only on the downtown Alvarado area but we’re also going to be having increased staffing and presence in the cannery row area in addition to our normal patrol staffing for weekend evenings. Though police are ready to take on dangerous situation, the sergeant hopes and expects to have a calm weekend. “We have our increased staffing but typically we see a much more family friendly type crowd visiting Monterey for New Years Eve.” said Sergeant Andrews Sergeant Andrews says it’s not only up to police and local businesses to make sure it’s a safe and fun holiday, it’s a community-wide effort! “If you see something say something, says Andrews. “We can come and we can investigate and determine whether or not it’s legitimate but we need the public to contact us.”
PREVIOUS – Monterey police might be expected to relax on New Year’s Eve as the city’s downtown area will be home to the family-friendly and alcohol-free First Night celebration. As it turns out, the police are bringing on extra staff.
The increased police presence is intended to ensure a safe holiday for those who gather downtown and on Cannery Row.
