CANTON – Extra weekend police patrols have resulted in scores of arrests and tickets at the beginning of the college fall semester.

The police chief said the extra weekend manpower was warranted with the anticipated increase in calls for police services they experience at the beginning of every school year.

The department recorded 71 complaints received – 39 of them alcohol-related -- between 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6 and midnight Sunday, Sept. 9.

There were 24 open container arrests, 10 noise complaints with three arrests, two littering arrests, and three public urination charges.

Interim Chief of Police Victor Rycroft said he is “not sure this is any worse than any other year, and no one school is any worse than the other,” but after being lulled by a quiet summer and attending to work related to the road construction in town, it was wise to prepare for the annual fall influx of students.

“Calls for police services take off in the fall,” he said.

“We had a discussion with the officers, and decided it would be appropriate to add patrols, a couple of nights a week at the beginning of school, with the increase in incidents. We’re raising awareness.”

Rycroft said most of the complaints and arrests occurred Friday and Saturday nights, when he put on extra patrols from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

He said they work with security at St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton, “and we back each other up when we have to. People expect that since the sheriff and the state police have headquarters in Canton that they’re at our disposal.” He said that’s not the case, of course, but that “they’ll assist if we need them.”

He said an extra officer or two on the street on Friday and Saturday nights would be worth the overtime and rearranging of shifts, “but we want to keep the overtime to a minimum.” And he said the extra patrols were “not forever.”

Department members also investigated three minor traffic accidents, issued eight vehicle and traffic tickets, and received four criminal mischief complaints during the weekend.