Woodstock PD initiative for July

The Woodstock Police Department issued a press release on July 1 and posted it on its webpage on the City's website to announce increased attention to the downtown Woodstock area and the Woodstock Park in the Square. Unfortunately, it may not be read by many Woodstock residents because of the difficulty in locating it.

Wouldn't it be nice if a link to it appeared on the homepage of the City's website?

Special enforcement operations will target disruptive behavior that detracts from the public's enjoyment of the Square, including open alcoholic beverages, minors smoking, groups blocking public sidewalks, individuals who are disorderly in their conduct, and other violations that pertain to the downtown area.

The press release states that "the goal of the special enforcement effort is to ensure the safety of the public and to re-educate the public on local laws that have been put in place to preserve the Woodstock Square."

The only problem with this statement is that there has never been an initial education of the public; without that, how can there be a re-education? A visitor might miss one of the regularly-defaced signs at an entrance to the Park in the Square about the prohibition of dogs. In any event, the cops don't ticket people with dogs on Saturdays during the Farmer's Market.

And how does someone know not to pitch a Frisbee? You only find that out when you are on the receiving end of a ticket. So where does "education" play a role here?

Residents might wish to become acquainted with the City Code about activities in the Park in the Square. Go to the City's website and open the City Code. Section 6.2.6 will tell you what you can't do in a city park, and Section 6.2.6B will tell you this:

"It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in any of the following activities in the park in the Square:
"A. Playing ball, riding skateboards, riding bicycles, serving or gliding frisbees or other similar sailing or gliding devices.
"B. For any group of persons to congregate in the park in the Square in such a manner that free access along paved sidewalks is restricted, prohibited or blocked.
"C. To ride any bicycle, skateboard or other devices on any adjacent sidewalk to the park in the Square."