Santa Cruz Police Will Be Out In Force On Halloween
SANTA CRUZ (KCBS) - Santa Cruz police will be deploying more than 100 officers on Halloween, which has seen its share of violence in the past.
"Halloween is the largest un-sanctioned event in Santa Cruz," said Santa Cruz Police Officer Zack Friend. "We normally have about 25,000 people downtown, which is equivalent to half the city's population in one square mile, and as such we end up gearing up with over 100 police officers. No one here has the night off that night."
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
Friend said that one of the problems is gang violence. He said that one year there were eight gang-related stabbings.
"We tend to see a lot of fights, a lot of public intoxication issues," said Friend. "We are trying to prevent the gang-related violence and the alcohol-fueled violence that occurs downtown on Halloween."
Sixty-four people were arrested last year on a variety of charges, including possession of brass knuckles.
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