Fiesta Arrests Way Up
No one was killed or stabbed during this year’s Fiesta, according to police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood, but the number of felony and misdemeanor arrests — 110 in all — was up substantially from the year before as were the number of DUI arrests and municipal code infractions and miscellaneous violations. The number of traffic and parking citations, however, dropped dramatically. Police budgeted $425,000 for costs, and up to 100 law enforcement officers were on the streets Friday and Saturday nights.
Harwood noted the highest number of arrests took place at the start of Fiesta on Wednesday and Thursday nights. “It’s important to set the right tone from the start,” he said. Harwood added that the use of Klieg lights has proved highly effective. Likewise, he noted that this year’s Cruiser Run (the 35th) had an estimated 1,500 fewer bicycle riders than the previous year — which had 5,000 — and that 24 citations were issued, mostly for running red lights. He suggested Sunday morning’s light rain may have dissuaded some riders from participating.
