MADISON, Wis. -- Madison's annual Halloween celebration is only one week away and preparations are already under way to make sure the event is a safe one.

About 300 police officers from all over the Madison area will be working to keep the peace, organizers said.

Last year's celebration was smaller than previous years. Police estimate that at the peak the crowd numbered around 35,000, compared with around 80,000 in previous years, WISC-TV reported.

Authorities also said the number of arrests were down last year. About 230 people were arrested between Friday and Saturday, which was less than half from the year before.

Police said they're expecting a larger crowd this year and are turning to more technological approaches to maintaining peace and insuring safety.

Currently, six surveillance cameras are recording activities on State Street 24 hours a day. The city installed the cameras from Johnson Street down to Lake Street.

"What the security cameras really try to do is try to make sure that this stays a safe environment," said Madison police Lt. Joe Balles.

Balles said implementing the city's downtown safety initiative is already proving effective.

"Already as a result of putting the cameras up on Peace Park, even the fact that they weren't working, we've already seen a change in some of the behavior."

Aside from changing behavior, police said the cameras also provide a view from more angles to help officers answer serious and regular calls down the street.

"What's more likely to happen is the various fights that happen at bar time and the disturbances when we don't have a police officer in the area, as what's happened from time to time. The video can help us better sort out later what exactly happened," said Balles.

Police want to remind Halloween revelers that they'll be watching the festivities very closely and will not tolerate destructive behavior.

"We've got to make sure that State Street stays a safe, fun environment and that's really what these cameras are really geared at," said Balles.

Police are hoping to have two more cameras installed down University Avenue before Friday.