MANSFIELD (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – Just weeks after two people died at a concert at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, town selectmen held a meeting Wednesday night to discuss security measures taken at the venue.
The police and fire chief in Mansfield spoke at the meeting and addressed the problem of underage drinking. The officials called the problem a nationwide epidemic that is not exclusive to the Comcast Center.
Mansfield's Police Chief Arthur O'Neill blames sophisticated new fake IDs and the concealment of alcohol in ordinary looking containers.
"It's an example of what's going on in society," said O'Neill. "It's an alcohol-soaked society."
During the meeting, the five-member board of selectmen listened to officials and their take on the recent security issues.
The State Alcohol and Beverage Commission gave the music venue a vote of confidence and says the Comcast Center is one of the best in the state when it comes to vigilance in underage drinking.
Several solutions were proposed, including drug-sniffing dogs, random searches and better selection of shows, but they were dismissed over constitutional issues and impracticality.
The focus on drinking and drug use at concerts at the Comcast Center has intensified since the death of two concertgoers during a recent rave festival.
Another concert resulted in nearly 100 people being either arrested or taken into protective custody because of alcohol use.
Alcohol is prohibited in the venue's parking lots according to the center's entertainment license.
Live Nation handles security at the Comcast Center, and they were not in attendance at the meeting.
