Fiesta crime down significantly

Fiesta related crime is down significantly compared to last year.

34 people were arrested for felonies such as serious assaults or major drug crimes. That’s a drop of 29 percent over last year.

Some 78 were cited for misdemeanors, such as fighting and possession of drugs. That number is down 54 percent compared to last year.

And, 14 people were arrested for driving under the influence, a drop of 36 percent.

“Hopefully what we’re doing is working. But the reason crime rates go up or down is a really complex thing. It would probably be an oversimplification to attribute it to one thing over another” said Sgt. Riley Harwood from the Santa Barbara Police Department.

It took 135 officers from several agencies to patrol the streets of Santa Barbara Saturday night, which is historically the busiest night for crime during Fiesta.