Police to watch bike-rally crowd from above

FAYETTEVILLE — Area law-enforcement offices plan to have a bird's-eye view during this week's Bikes, Blues & BBQ festival, whichstarts today and ends Saturday.

"We won't have an 'eye in the sky' this year, but we will have overhead observation," said Mike Neville, security director for this year's motorcycle rally. "We have a manned tower that we rented from a local company."

The annual rally, which is now in its 10th year, is expected to draw more than 400,000 visitors from across the country.

In addition to conducting crowd control from above, area law enforcement plans to provide extra patrol from the ground.

Neville said Bikes, Blues & BBQ contracted with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, as well as the Fayetteville, Farmington and Lowell police departments to provide approximately 60 extra officers for this year's event.

"We've had several meetingsahead of time with staff to tell them what to look for as far as underage drinking and weaponry," he said. "During peak times, we use Garrett wands to search for weapons, but usually we have very few problems. Overall, people who come here are very well-behaved. They come to have a good time and not get in trouble."

Fayetteville police will also provide added security for thisyear's event through mutual-aid agreements with Springdale and the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

According to state law, interlocal mutual-aid agreements enable neighboring police departments to respond or assist with a declared emergency or authorized training exercise at anotherdepartment's request.

Fayetteville Police Department Sgt. Bill Phelan said police security will increase as streets become more crowded.

"Depending on the time of day, we could have anywhere from 10 officers on the street, to say 50 officers during peak time," he said. "We'll primarily put our bikes to use, with a few officers blending in on motorcycles and patrol working the perimeter."

Phelan said officers typically meet with area merchants prior to Bikes, Blues & BBQ to discuss safety issues and parking.

Underage drinking, public intoxication, noise complaints, disorderly conduct and driving while intoxicated are among the types of criminal activity usually encountered by police during the festival.

"Parking is always a really big issue," Phelan said. "There won't be any shuttles this year, but they will have the train to transport people between the two "

Operated by the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, the 200-passenger Blues Train made its official debut last year during Bikes, Blues & BBQ. Pickup and drop-off areas will be by George's Majestic Lounge on Dickson Street and the parking lot on the east side of the Randal Tyson Track Center. Transportation wristbands are required for the Blues Train and will be available at locations throughout the rally for $1 per person per trip or $5 per person for the entire rally.

Phelan said police will close off local streets as needed.

"We won't shut down roads until it becomes a public safety concern, like if traffic is so congested that it bleeds onto other streets," he said Tuesday. "We probably won't have any closures on Wednesday or Thursday. We usually end up shutting down Dickson from Gregg to St. Charles, and sometimes we extend it up to the University of Arkansas. West Avenue may also be shut down, but there's no parking there anyway. We're looking at getting some message boards on College, between Maple and Dickson, that provides information about traffic flow."

Police say they don't anticipate problems withoutlaw motorcycle gangs during this year's event.

"We've had training in that area, and we know what to look for," Phelan said. "I don't know if this is their kind of event anyway, since it's family-friendly. We've drawn a line in Fayetteville. Unlike some of the other bigger rallies, like Sturgis (S.D.), we don't allow nudity or drinking on the streets."

Dogs, engine revving and weapons are also prohibited during the festival.

Neville said visitors will be searched for weapons prior to entering the event venue.

"From a security standpoint, we welcome everyone and ask that those who might have any problems or see something suspicious contact one of our security officers," he said. "There will be both uniformed and T-shirt security personnel, wearing Bikes, Blues & BBQ shirts. We're here to make sure everyone is safe and has a good time. We also have a security-operations trailer and command post behind the main stage of the Walton Arts Center parking lot, where our operations headquarters are located."

For more information or to view a schedule of events, visit www.bikesbluesandbbq.org.