Westfield Police Chief’s Waste of Westfield Resources.......Shut Down

Westfield police chief David Wayman and his emergency mobile command center will not be attending Hoboken’s LepreCon “drunkfest” this year.  
The wasting of Westfield’s resources will no longer be a burden on Westfield taxpayers.  
Westfield’s former parking director, the disgraced John Morgan, resigned from Hoboken’s parking authority last year due to alleged questionable circumstances. 

It’s quite possible that Westfield’s new administration put the stop on traveling to Hoboken with the $300K mobile command center in tow. 

Caitlin Mott of the Jersey Journal reports:

Everyone is welcome in Hoboken, but if you're heading to the infamous LepreCon bar crawl this weekend, there are a few things you need to know.

Police Chief Ken Ferrante estimates close to 250 police officers – including the entire Hoboken force – will be patrolling the Mile Square City on Saturday as thousands of people dress in green and booze it up.

The event started in 2012 in response to the city banning its annual St. Patrick's Day parade because of unruly crowds, and this year it may be a little less rowdy with the forced closure of five popular bars.

There are, however, more than 100 other bars open for business beginning Saturday morning and Ferrante says police don't anticipate a repeat of December's "violent" Santacon bar crawl.

"I know I have 250 officers," he said in his office on Friday morning. "We have the numbers and we're ready to go."

If you are planning to brave the crowded bars, there's a few things you should keep in mind.

"First of all, do not drink and drive," the chief said.

He encourages anyone attending the event to use public transportation, a ride share service, or designate a driver. Anyone who sees anything suspicious is asked to call the police department immediately at 201-420-2100 to have officers respond.

If you're drinking or urinating in public, police will issue a summons. Any kind of fights or property damage will result in arrests, Ferrante said.

"It's as simple as that," he said.

He also asks for anyone visiting the city to be mindful and respectful of residents and businesses in Hoboken who are not participating in the alcohol-filled day.

City officials have met with bar owners, who Ferrante says are little on edge after it was announced 1Republik would permanently close in May. He said he's asked bar owners to keep a "positive communication" with the police department instead of fearing a report on their tavern. He's also asked for them to contact authorities if they have any concerns throughout the day.

"The last thing we want is any residents, visitors, or police officers getting injured in those types of situations," he said. "We don't want those types of situations."

His biggest fear on bar crawl days is someone being seriously injured or dying.

"Tens of thousands of people drinking all day and then it gets dark at 6 or 7 p.m.," he said. "A lot can go wrong."

Ferrante has become well known as the chief who tweets updates during rowdy events. He said he plans to post updates every hour or so from his office to keep residents informed about what's going on and then hit the streets again with his officers.