Police say Renaissance Festival strained patrols; council weighs overtime and possible park supervision ordinance

City police representatives reported that the Renaissance Festival generated sustained demand on patrols and required county assistance. A police speaker said the department ‘‘will have to request probably another 3,000 next year for strictly overtime for another crew of officers’’ to staff a dedicated park presence during the festival. Officers and councilors described multiple thefts, fights and an arson call that stretched resources and diverted squad members from other priority calls.

Councilors discussed an ordinance to require parental supervision or age limits in parks during large events so officers could cite unsupervised youths. As one attendee put it during the meeting: "If they're not supervised, we can tell them to leave our public park." Participants debated enforceability and the risk of repeatedly ejecting young people without broader supports.

Separately, officers raised and the council addressed rumors circulating among staff that the police department might be abolished or contracted out. The police representative said those claims worried officers; councilors characterized recent budget meetings as brainstorming and denied any formal decision to disband policing, saying police would be included in any substantive discussions about contracting or service changes. No formal policy or ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff and councilors agreed to consider overtime requests in upcoming budget revisions and to examine possible regulatory language for parks.