Police: 'No serious incidents' at H2Oi car show
Ocean City Police prepared for the worst in advance of the annual H2O International car show on Oct. 1 and 2. The town called in support from five other police organizations, but ultimately the event was about the same as in previous years.
The show, which is organized locally, has become notorious for instances of speeding, reckless driving, public drunkenness, crashes, profanity, harassing the police and fighting perpetrated by some of its participants.
OCPD spokeswoman Lindsay Richard said on Sunday, Oct. 2, "For the most part, there were no serious incidents all weekend."
Statistics made available Monday afternoon show an increase in calls for service, but overall the numbers have changed only slightly since 2014.
The number of calls for service and traffic stops, a major cause of concern each year, were up from previous year totals. There were 2,527 calls for service during the event this year, compared to 1,703 last year and 2,318 the year before. Traffic stops this year were up at 1,222, compared to last year's 680 and 1,033 in 2014.
READ MORE:Ocean City Police prepare for H2Oi event
Vehicle collisions and arrests were more moderate. There were 15 collisions this year with only two injuries, neither serious. Last year saw only eight collisions but there were 15 the year before. A total of 46 arrests were made at the 2016 event, compared to 38 last year and 57 in 2014.
Richard attributes the lower 2015 figures to persistent bad weather all weekend. While continuous rain and flooding kept some participants away from the beach the first two days of this year's event, they were out in force on Saturday and Sunday.
The two-day event, which is not sanctioned by Ocean City and which actually takes place in nearby Whaleyville, still draws many participants to the beach resort for lodging or to take advantage of the night life.
H2O International is an annual gathering of Volkswagen and Audi aficionados. It features heavily-modified show cars of those makes and others. The legality of the modifications, which include lowering the body until it almost touches the ground and augmenting the exhaust system to make engine noise louder, has been the subject of police attention in the past.
The event organizer's Twitter and Instagram feeds include comments by show participants who feel they are unfairly demonized by the beach town. But past events have resulted in a disproportionate number of police calls compared to similar events like Bike Week and Endless Cruisin'.
H2Oi event organizers could not be reached for comment.