Though crime is continuing to decrease in Easton, late-night noise and other disturbances continue to frustrate downtown residents, according to Easton city council members.
City council had a discussion last Wednesday evening about this, where the idea of adding an officer to the city’s police department was tossed around.
Easton Councilman Frank Pintabone said official crime trends don’t reflect what residents and businesses are experiencing. He pointed to complaints about behavior downtown, and some evenings, the city has six or seven police officers on shift for the entire city.
“From a standpoint of safety, we’re increasing the population, our festivals are having record numbers, but we’re not increasing safety,” Pintabone said.
Councilwoman Crystal Rose said she has received a steady stream of calls about late-night noise, public drunkenness and safety issues. She referenced a resident who sent her video recorded at 1:30 a.m., with noise audible even through closed windows.
She added that idling tractor-trailers on South Side have also generated complaints, and she believes late-night enforcement needs to increase from Thursday through Saturday.
Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo told lehighvalleylive.com that these concerns reflect the reality of a growing city. He said Easton’s popularity has increased the department’s responsibilities, noting that both new residents and heavy visitor traffic place demands on police.
“We’re constantly moving and changing and adapting to whatever we see happening in the city,” he said.
He added that the concerns raised by council are not new, but part of an ongoing challenge as more people live downtown while more visitors frequent restaurants and bars.
Some council members supported restoring a more visible downtown presence, such as bike or foot patrols.
“We used to do that before, and it worked,” Vice Mayor Ken Brown said, adding that merchants and officers became familiar with one another.
Councilman Roger Ruggles added that even if council approved new officers, the impact would not be immediate. He noted that new hires are typically not on the street for nine months after entering the academy and urged council to identify long-term staffing needs.
Scalzo said the department routinely adjusts enforcement strategies when there is an influx of visitors, which includes bikes and walking patrols.
“What we’re dealing with here is something that’s been around the city a long time,” Scalzo said. “As you bring more people in, more people live here, so they are going to be impacted by more people visiting here. And so as those two things kind of continuously are in conflict with each other.”
He noted that people leaving bars often do not realize they are in residential areas, contributing to many of the noise complaints council members referenced.
Scalzo said increased staffing could be an option, though these are issues the city has always dealt with.
“I think the problems are good problems to have,” Scalzo said. “If you come here, we want you here. We’d love to have people down here, both living and visiting, but following the rules is essential. That’s kind of what our role is, to make sure that you follow those rules that are put in place.”
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