Beefed-up security pays off at Riverfest

Going into the final day of the Riverfest, police had made only four arrests at the festival by early Friday evening.

If that fact would have been printed about five years ago, Wichita police officers would have been incredulous.

“I remember working down there in the early 2000s and we were arresting people, like, every hour,” said Wichita police Sgt. Nikki Woodrow. “Four is a great number; We like seeing that.”

Festival officials say major changes made in 2013 have caused crime at Riverfest to drop off dramatically, and the statistics back those claims.

“I do think we’ve made some progress in the last few years from what had been a bit of a bad patch in that respect,” said Mary Beth Jarvis, president and CEO of Wichita Festivals.

Why crime is down

In 2013, Wichita police officers arrested 156 people at Riverfest, according to Woodrow.

In 2014, that number dropped to 11. Last year there were six arrests.

This year, one person was arrested Saturday for bench warrants and three were arrested Wednesday night.

Of those three, a 17-year-old girl was taken into custody for unlawful possession of paraphernalia after dropping a bag of marijuana near a police officer, and an 18-year-old man was arrested for criminal damage to property after climbing aboard the floating stage in the Arkansas River and damaging brackets. The young man also was charged with tampering with an auto after trying to start one of the jet skis. The third arrest Wednesday was of a 13-year-old runaway who was taken into custody.

The runaway case was not criminal, though police count it as an “arrest,” Woodrow said.

Jarvis attributes the decrease to more aggressive button enforcement, proactive police work, and the addition of gates around the festival grounds.

“Even when it was only a $5 button, that was enough of a threshold that the skulkers-about and the meanderers just didn’t (buy a button),” she said. “What it instantly did was ensure that everyone within the festival zone … was there on purpose. They were there to enjoy the festival with their friends and neighbors and that made the instant difference.”

The festival increased standard button prices from $5 to $10 in 2015, though that seemed to do little to dampen attendance – rather, according to Wichita Festivals, attendance increased in 2015.

At the time, Jarvis said part of the reason for the button price increase was to cover rising security costs.

The festival has hired private security to augment police officers at the festival, mainly screening people at the gates and searching through people’s bags. This has led to some lines to enter the festival at its peak hours on busy days, but Jarvis said a slight wait is worth it to ensure festivalgoers’ safety on the grounds.

“We try to apply common sense and good judgment, and we’ll keep learning,” Jarvis said.

Festival cooperation with police

Wichita police Sgt. Kelly O’Brien has worked as a police liaison with Wichita Festivals for eight years.

He said the security measures implemented in 2013 “reduced crime and literally changed the culture of their event in the process.”

“It’s not just the amount of disturbances or arrests or police business that have decreased, but the amount of calls placed to 911 that we’ve received has also decreased,” O’Brien said. “The amount of missing children has decreased as well.”

In the past, the mass exodus of people leaving the festival after fireworks shows often created bumper-to-bumper traffic, he said. One year, there was a 20-something car pileup on Kellogg, he said, as someone had decided to park alongside the road to watch the fireworks.

In recent years, police have had more officers directing traffic.

Last “Friday night after the fireworks was probably one of the smoothest transitions for people leaving the area and riding home safely I’ve witnessed,” he said. “I’m not aware of any collisions.”

Screening out potential troublemakers at the gate has allowed on-site officers to police more proactively, he said. This year, that includes a strong emphasis on public safety, he said.

“If there’s one public safety message I’d like to emphasize and push the hardest, it’s to be prepared and hydrate, use sunblock and have a safety plan with your family before you arrive of what to do in case you are separated,” O’Brien said.

The party isn’t busted

In the past two years, the festival has tried to broaden its appeal to young adults and working professionals by offering more craft beer options, Jarvis said.

Despite the increased amount of alcohol consumed, she said most people are being respectful – thus resulting in no arrests for drunken and disorderly behavior, public urination or similar charges.

“This is a party and we embrace that. … It just needs to be a party where folks respect the venue, themselves and each other,” Jarvis said. “It’s truly an issue of respect and we’re just delighted people are showing it.”

Riverfest 2016 concludes Saturday night with a performance by The Roots at 9 p.m. followed by the CapFed Fantastic Fireworks Finale at 10:30 p.m.

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Beefed-up security pays off at Riverfest."