Published: July 17, 2008 10:28 pm            

SAFETY: Tonawanda officials perceive security disparity at Canal Fest

CITY OF TONAWANDA — Head over to the North Tonawanda side during Canal Fest, and you’ll most likely find adults enjoying a few cold ones in the beer tent while listening to the bands play along the canal.

On the City of Tonawanda side of the event, groups of kids and early-twenty-somethings abound because of the rides and games, and it’s on the Tonawanda side where the majority of Canal Fest arrests are made. That has city officials crying foul over the stark contrast between the two sides and the fact that those incidents sometimes put officers’ safety at risk.

For example, city police made nearly 45 arrests by Wednesday night, the mid-point of the event, many of which have been for disorderly conduct or resisting arrest, incidents where the offenders were uncooperative with police.

On particularly high-volume arrest nights, the City of Tonawanda’s holding cells, of which there are only four, have been filled with four offenders each, while the overflow gets shipped to the North Tonawanda police station. On some nights, the offenders have been loud and obnoxious, verbally abusing officers.

North Tonawanda police will serve as backup, should city officers need it, but the crowds on the Tonawanda side have gotten so large over the years that City of Tonawanda Police Chief Cindy Young has made arrangements with both the Town of Tonawanda and Kenmore police departments to come in if needed.

“The disparity between the two sides is outrageous,” Young said. “Something’s got to be done.” Young said city officials have, in the past, proposed alternating the midway on the Tonawanda and NT sides, but have been told by event organizers and the ride company — Powers Great American Midway — that the NT side isn’t conducive to having a midway.

“The lay of the land is completely different from one side to the other,” said Larry Denef, president of the Canal Fest of the Tonawandas Board of Directors, adding that there are large areas on the city side that don’t exist on the NT side. Those open spaces, especially at Main and Young streets, are attractive areas for youths to congregate.

“Everybody does a great job. For a lot of years, safety has been our top priority,” Denef said. “We want it to be as safe as possible. A lot of those kids that come down there are good.”

Part of the problem, according to Tonawanda Mayor Ron Pilozzi, is that today’s kids just don’t respect authority like they used to. “I worked in a factory for 30 years, but I can’t believe some of the stuff these kids say,” Pilozzi said.

Thus far, the event’s biggest black eye has been a shooting that occurred several years ago. Other than that, patrol officers say large fights, like one that ensued shortly after the fireworks concluding last year’s festival, have been the biggest problem.

“Last year after the fireworks, a lot of fights broke out,” said Tonawanda Lt. Robert Clontz, a veteran Canal Fest patrolman. “We were running from (Main Street Tonawanda) to Advance Auto Parts and then back to Burger King.”

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.

        

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