Hoboken Residents Voice Concerns About St. Patty's Day Parade

Although March 6 is still almost two weeks away, the date has been on Hoboken's mind for quite some time now. It's the day of Hoboken's St. Patrick's Day Parade, and residents are worried. 

During a meet and greet in the Sixth Ward on Monday night—a chance for residents of that ward to meet Hoboken Police Chief Anthony Falco and ask questions about safety—most of the roughly 15 members of the public attended to talk about the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

As residents expressed their worries about vandalism, public urination, as well as a general drunken mess, Falco asked the residents for a vow of confidence.

"Give me a chance," Falco said. 

This year, Falco said, 151 police officers will be working on the day of the parade (virtually the entire force). Last year, Falco said, about 60 officers worked that day. 

"I wasn't even called in to work that day," said Falco, who has been police chief for the past eight months, but has worked for the Hoboken Police Department for the last 40 years. Last year, Falco said he marched in the parade. 

Falco said that the police department received 629 calls on the day of the parade last year, of which 131 were related to house parties. This year, the police will also be performing random DWI checks throughout the city.

"These are not new issues," said Bill Noonan, chairman of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. As he stood up to talk to the residents of the Sixth Ward, he explained that the committee has asked for more police enforcement for years. 

One of the members asked Noonan if he had got his property damaged last year, to which Noon immediately answered "yes."

The police is instituting a zero tolerance policy this year, something Lt. Ken Ferrante said will be strictly enforced. There's no such thing as a first warning—the first offence could cost up to $2,000. Another old policy that is being reinstated is community service. Those people who will be getting a summons will have to spend some time cleaning Hoboken's streets. 

Falco said he is planning on re-instituting some old policies into the Hoboken Police Department, community service being one of them.

"What's old, is new again," Falco said.

(Another example of something "old," are the overcoats with gold shiny buttons that the police officers have been wearing around town, in case you were wondering.)

Another new implementation this year is that Hoboken's bars will open at 9 a.m., instead of 10 a.m. An idea that Falco supports. 

"If it fails, then it's my fault," he said. "Then it's back to the drawing board." But, he added, "I think we're in good shape."

But most Hobokenites on Monday night thought that those early opening hours won't help keep the drunk visitors under control.

Sixth ward resident and school board member Ruth MacAllister attended the meeting, with her son. She said that she'd like to see more input from bar owners who will make large profits on that day. The city has already asked bar owners to donate money to a special fund to help pay for the parade. 

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, during a meeting with bar owners last month, said she is counting on a "good faith effort," from the bar owners. She said that if the city doesn't receive at least half of what it costs to put on the parade—it costs the city more than $100,000 in overtime payments—she would have to rethink the parade for next year. 

Something that Sixth Ward Councilman Nino Giacchi also said he would do. 

"The first question is whether it should exist,"he said. 

Mayor Dawn Zimmer replied to a tweet by @HobokenPatch about the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Tuesday night: "@HobokenPatch Come enjoy hoboken on march 6th-- act responsibly and enjoy your summer or risk doing street duty!"