August 23, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 11 FROM PAGE 10 Council Secretary Mary Knight conducted research gathering crime statistics from cities across the country with a population of about 250,000, the same as Ocean City in the summer time, and found Ocean City’s crime was still much lower than other jurisdictions. “We should be proud of this and not be questioning how many people were in town,” she said. Meehan acknowledged Buzzuro and the action the OCPD is undertaking in addressing the incidents that have occurred in town this summer and cast Ocean City in a negative light on several occasions. “There was crime in some isolated incidents and what happened is they became big news because they are not typical of what happens in Ocean City,” the mayor said. “I also looked at the crime stats of other beach resorts and our numbers are far lower than theirs are. We are moving in the right direction.” Meehan also lives in the downtown area and said he is not and never will be afraid to visit the Boardwalk. “Different hours in any community are going to bring out different people. We always have to be aware of our whereabouts no matter where we go,” he said. “We need to be cognizant and out front to prevent crime from happening, and I think we have learned some lessons this year to make sure we are even more on point in the future then in the past.” During last week’s Police Commission meeting, it was reported July’s total calls for service, including traffic stops, business checks and assistance to citizens, were 15,128, which is a 3.1-percent decrease from July 2012 when there were 15,620 calls for service. Out of the total number of calls for service 11,256 were officer initiated, which is a 1.3-percent decrease from July 2012, and 3,872 were citizen initiated, which is an 8.1-percent decrease from July 2012. The total number of call for service, excluding traffic stops, business checks and assisting citizens, totaled 10,157, which is a 4.1-percent decrease from July 2012. There were 473 arrests made in July and 207 criminal citations issued. There were 94 drug arrests made and 136 drug citations. There were 55 DUI arrests made and 23 weapon arrests, according to OCPD data. The July monthly average population in Ocean City, according to demoflush, was 305,112 with the first weekend in July (holiday) down 2.3 percent from the previous year, and subsequent weekends down 1.5 percent from 2012, up 1.7 percent from 2012 and down 4.2 percent from 2012, respectively. D E L A W A R E L O T T E R Y G A M E S MARGARITA’S & CRAFT BEERS! AND DON’T FORGET MEXICAN MONDAYS! . . Ashley, Pillas Push Concerns On Negative Changes Live Entertainment Raw Bar Bloody Mary Bar Mexican Monday H A P P Y H O U R S P E C I A L S CRABBY CHEESE DIP IN A BREAD BOWL! GROUPER FINGERS, CEASAR SALAD, WINGS, KEY WEST, MILD, MEDIUM, NUCLEAR, INFERNO, GARLIC PARMESAN, OLD BAY, BOURBON, BAR B Q, ASIAN SESAME & NAKED! STRAWBERRY SALAD, LOTSA SLIDERS, BURGERS, LEPRECHAUN LEGS, CLAMS, OYSTERS, STEAMED SHRIMP, COLD PINTS OF DRAFT BEER, 5S 2C HR DE BE IN GS Casual Fine Dining On The Bay • 5 p.m. Restaurant & Bar 60th street in the bay 410-524-5500 • www.fagers.com