UC Police Train for Halloween Weekend

Goleta and Isla Vista Residents have taken notice of significant police training in advance of the Halloween weekend.

Pictures taken near the old Devereux residence site west of the main UCSB campus show a large number of officers gathered.

A spokesman from UCSB confirmed the officers are members of the University of Calfiornia Police force, called a system-wide UC Response Team, which is training for weekend crowd control in Isla Vista.

Already, several steps have been taken to ensure the Halloween weekend is peaceful as tens of thousands of people are expected to converge on Isla Vista. Fences have been put up for crowd control.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department will issue a “tactical alert” with detailed plans for law enforcement response to ensure events remain calm. As many as 300 officers are expected to be deployed.

In addition to efforts within Isla Vista, the California Highway Patrol will be placing “warning signs” along the freeway.

Traffic in Isla Vista between Del Playa and Trigo Road will blocked during the weekend, beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Friday 3:00 Saturday morning at the earliest. The closure will repeat at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. All streets south of El Colegio will be closed to large vehicles including buses and trailers through the weekend.

All parking will be prohibited on Del Playa, El Embarcadero (north and south), Camino Pescadero and Camino del Sur over the weekend. Residential parking restrictions will also be in place in Goleta neighborhoods within walking distance of Isla Vista.

To provide another recreational venue for students away from the crowded areas, a concert is also planned at the Thunderdome on the UCSB campus with the group “Young the Giants” on Friday night at 8:30 p.m., which is only open to students.