Calls For Service, Arrests Spike For Holiday Weekend

OCEAN CITY -- The big Memorial Day weekend crowds kept the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) on its toes with the number of calls for service and the number of arrests toppling last year’s marks.

According to OCPD spokesman Mike Levy, the department made 157 arrests over the four-day period from Friday to Monday last weekend, compared to 115 arrests over the same frame in 2011. In addition, the OCPD responded to over 2,500 calls for service over the four-day period last weekend, compared to around 2,300 the prior year.

Based on simple math, the 2,500 calls for service over the four days equates to 625 calls each day, or about 26 every hour. Similarly, the 157 arrests over the four-day holiday weekend last week equates to just over 39 each day.

“Needless to say, we were very busy,” said Levy this week. “With the big crowds in town, there was obviously a lot going on almost around the clock.”

Levy said there were a few major incidents, most importantly a pedestrian fatality early Monday morning at 54th Street. In addition, there was a raid on two Boardwalk businesses last Friday evening that netted four arrests for the illegal sale of synthetic marijuana and paraphernalia. Otherwise, the calls for service and subsequent arrests in some cases ran the gamut from the serious to the types of summertime crimes so prevalent in the beach resort.

“We were handling a huge variety of calls and arrests from the typical alcohol-related stuff to the much more serious stuff,” he said. “We had some pretty significant drug arrests and more than a couple weapons arrests.”

A quick glance at the arrest logs for the four-day period illustrates the volume and range of crimes the OCPD handled over the holiday weekend. By far, the largest number of arrests was for drug violations including 45 from marijuana possession to more significant distribution cases. There were 11 driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated arrests recorded. There were two, first-degree assault and eight, second-degree assault arrests recorded. There were numerous theft, burglary and malicious destruction of property arrests along with a bevy or disorderly conducts.

Levy said the department was well equipped to handle the holiday, but the OCPD is expected to get a boost this week with over 50 new seasonal officers coming out of the most recent training sessions.