CPD: no major problems on NYE in Central Business District

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston’s Central Business District was mostly incident free on New Year’s Eve, according to police.

“New Year’s Eve itself, was actually really well-behaved crowds out there,” said Lt. James Byrne, the Team 9 Commander for the Charleston Police Department.

Lt. Byrne said a few cite and release charges and one custodial arrest were the extent of the problems late Saturday into early Sunday as large crowds celebrated the start of 2023. Police said there were no acts of violence.

“We had of course, a number of officers out there, we had increased staffing. But by and large, we had a very safe, a very enjoyable night out there,” Lt. Byrne said.

Lt. Byrne told News 2, officers ran into more problems the night before New Year’s Eve, including overcrowding at some businesses and reckless driving.

Meanwhile, around 30 bars and restaurants are now using a mobile app called Intellicheck to catch fake IDs. The new technology is part of a pilot program the City of Charleston rolled out last month.

The program was put to the test on New Year’s Eve.

“It went really well, actually rather smoothly and I was amazed. I wish I had the program years ago to be honest with you,” said Brendan Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick owns Bedford Falls on Meeting Street. The business started using Intellicheck last week. Even just the site of the IDs being scanned was enough to deter underage people from entering the bar.

“You know what we saw was I think they’re catching on. As I was scanning, you’d watch people do U-turns,” said Kirkpatrick.

While police don’t have any numbers to report at the moment, Lt. Byrne believes Intellicheck was a success over the holiday weekend, but the real test is still to come.

“This past weekend, I would say, was probably its biggest tests so far, but I think it will have bigger tests when we see the majority of the college students come back to campus,” explained Lt. Byrne.