The third weekend in July was again a busy time for the Oak Bluffs police department, which reported a busier-than-normal weekend in light of the shark tournament and festival. But while last year police said they felt overwhelmed, this year the department reported that an increased police presence may have deterred more serious incidents.
The department reported that between Thursday, July 18 and Sunday, July 21, police responded to 175 incidents, making 25 arrests and placing four people into protective custody.
An Oak Bluffs man who had fallen into the harbor early Thursday morning and was struggling to stay afloat was rescued when police officers from Tisbury and Oak Bluffs rushed to his aid.
Officers pulled Nelson Ferreira, 40, from the Oak Bluffs harbor at approximately 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Oak Bluffs Lieut. Timothy Williamson said.
After a weekend that the police chief called one of the busiest in years, with several fights and more than 20 arrests, Oak Bluffs police and town officials said they are looking at better ways to manage the crowds that come to the town for the annual monster shark tournament.
“Our calls for service were way up, our incidents were way up, at times we were pretty much overwhelmed on Saturday night,” Oak Bluffs police chief Erik Blake told the selectmen at their meeting Tuesday.
Former Oak Bluffs police chief Joseph C. Carter has been sworn in as adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.
Mr. Carter, who holds the rank of major general, commands the nearly 8,000 members of the Massachusetts Army and Air National Guard. He is the senior military advisor to the governor of Massachusetts.
Mr. Carter became police chief of Oak Bluffs in 1998. He resigned in 2003 to become chief of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police department.
