Approximately 15,000 people came to downtown Santa Cruz on Halloween for what has become the largest single informal gathering in the city. The Santa Cruz Police Department, lead by Lt. Larry Richard, teamed with nine allied law enforcement agencies for proactive enforcement of all laws. Overall, calls and arrests were up from 2010. The following provides an overview of the night’s statistics (downtown only):
50 Total Arrests
· domestic violence, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of a switchblade, public intoxication,
drug possession, parole violations/warrants, resisting arrest
49 Triple Fine Municipal Code Violations
·open container violations, urinating in public
Throughout the evening the department made contact with number of known county and out-of-county gang members. Gang investigators from Santa Cruz and Santa Clara County teamed to maintain a safe environment.
One unloaded handgun, one switchblade knife and two pellet guns were removed during the evening. Additionally, one documented gang member was found in possession of a hammer.
Elsewhere in the city the Santa Cruz Police Department fielded 347calls for service during the evening, a 75% increase over last year’s call volume. Overwhelmingly these calls, especially later in the evening, were for parties and issues (such as fights) stemming from the parties.
