NYPD Officer Asks Bars Not to Sponsor Boozy SantaCon Bar Crawl

One yuletide event has landed on at least one NYPD officer's "naughty" list.

Police Lt. John Cocchi sent out a letter to 30 bars in midtown and Hell's Kitchen asking them to not take part in the yearly SantaCon bar crawl, the Daily News reports. Last year, thousands of people came to the event dressed as Saint Nick and other holiday characters, bringing trouble with them, Cocchi said in the letter. 

"Having thousands of intoxicated partygoers roam the streets urinating, littering vomiting and vandalizing will not be tolerated in our neighborhood," Lt. John Cocchi wrote in the letter. "It is my recommendation that you do not sponsor this event in any way."

The crawl, which this year starts at 10 a.m. Dec. 14, raises money for several local charities, according to the event's website. The starting point is revealed on the eve of the event, and merrymakers are given the crawl's route throughout the day via social media. 

The event's website warns participants to behave themselves, but the NYPD and local residents both say that last year's event got a little too festive.

"What do you tell a 5-year-old when they see a Santa passed out on the street, or carried by his buddies, or vomiting or defecating in front of the house," Bob Miner told the Daily News. "We all grow up, but there's no reason kids have to learn the truth about Santa that way."

Organizers didn't respond to NBC 4 New York's request for comments on the letter.

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