Drunken Bar Crowds in Port Jervis

You don't need me to tell you but when you add alcohol to certain situations things tend to get loud.

That's exactly whats happening in Port Jervis and there are police videos of drunken crowds outside bars and on streets to prove it. Those videos have caused concern from local authorities and politicians.

According to the Times Herald Record, First Ward Councilman Regis Foster has said that the problem started to get worse over the summer, on weekend nights and early morning hours in downtown Port Jervis, around Pike, Front, Ball and Hammond streets.

He also said that, “There were people coming out of bars in groups and walking in the middle of the street, yelling at cars, in one instance, a car was speeding through town like it was a race track. Another one slammed into the foundation of a house. The driver got out of the car and tried to take off, but was too intoxicated to flee.”

Mayor Kelly Decker said that part of the problem is the two extra hours New York state allows bars to stay open. Bars in New York can stay open until 4 a.m., while in most states bars close at 2 a.m.

The good news is that most Port Jervis bars are now cooperating with requests to close up shop at 3 a.m. and have agreed to work with Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden on trying to fix the problem.