Students and other Freakfest attendees will see a different arrest policy at this year’s event in addition to a decreased police presence on State Street, police announced at a city meeting Wednesday.
In past years, the Madison Police Department stationed officers at the University Inn and Henry Street by the Overture Center to issue and process arrests.
But this year, police said they plan to transport attendees arrested at the event to the City-County building, where police will then process citations.
The MPD hopes to increase efficiency by transporting arrestees to a single location outside Freakfest grounds instead of having officers staffed at two citation stations within the event area, due to decreased arrests at the event in recent years.
The officers formerly staffed at the locations on State Street will now be able to address incidents that occur outside the event’s grounds.
According to Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, the Madison Police Department’s goal is to make student arrests seem like “a more serious offense” by taking arrestees to the police station to receive a citation.
Resnick while said he does not agree with its goal, he understands the MPD’s intentions.
“I truly believe students understand that [arrests are serious],” Resnick said.
Additionally, fewer police will be on duty due to decreased arrests in recent years, according to Resnick.
“We don’t foresee incidents at Freakfest, and due to the general concerns about the budget, there’s no reason to overreact,” Resnick said. “I think the lower ratio of officers [to attendees] reflects that.”
