Santa Cruz PD amps up staff to control Halloween Crowds

“It’s that great vibe in the city where everyone can come dressed up and be whoever you want to be,” said Devon Keeler.

“It’s a little bit slower this year than usual so its fun, its not as crowded,” said Dean Smith.

Fun, excitement and alcohol fueled downtown Santa Cruz.

“As it gets really packed in here I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of shots and beer,” said Patrick, Ferraro, bartender at Motiv.

Santa Cruz Police have all hands on deck.

“Our concern really is to make sure people get home safe,” said Joyce Blaschke, Santa Cruz Police community relations specialist. “So most people come down and they want to have a good time, but they’ll be those individuals who are probably looking to get into a little bit of trouble and that’s why we’re staffed fully to be able to deal with those kinds of issues.”

More than 100 officers plus law enforcement from outside agencies were on duty.

“Checking in on those early signs of bad behavior so it doesn’t get to far out of hand,” said Blaschke.

Hefty fines are also in effect.

Urinating in public, littering and excess noise will cost law breakers.

“Triple fines are expensive so we hope that people would rather come down have a good time and get home safely,” said Blaschke.

On Halloween last year Santa Cruz PD responded to 400 calls for service, issued 36 triple fine citations and made 32 arrests.