Sheriff’s Office: Isla Vista Halloween uneventful

For a third straight year, Halloween celebrations in Isla Vista were uneventful. The number of arrests, citations, medical transports and overall attendance have decreased with each passing year.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the University of California Police Department released the following statistical data and comparisons to previous years:

2013 (4 days of operation)

Crowd Estimate: 12-15,000

Arrests: 225

Citations: 249

Medical Transports: 51

2014 (2 days of operation)

Crowd Estimate: 2-3,000

Arrests: 42

Citations: 68

Medical Transports: 11

2015 (2 days of operation)

Crowd Estimate: 500-1,000

Arrests: 45

Citations: 44

Medical Transports: 9

2016 (four days of operation)

Crowd Estimate: No crowd

Arrests: 26

Citations: 46

Medical Transports: 13

Partygoers were mostly locals, and the only large crowd that gathered was on Saturday night outside the Thunderdome for a UCSB student-only concert, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office says comprehensive campaigns by UCSB and the Isla Vista Safe Committee, with support from the Isla Vista community, have contributed to the dwindling numbers in attendance and number of arrests. The campaigns discourage out-of-towners from attending Isla Vista festivities.

Other agencies and officials that participate every year in the Isla Vista Halloween operation include: Santa Barbara County Public Safety Dispatch Center, Emergency Management Services Agency, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara County Probation, Alcohol Beverage and Control, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and the University of California Police Department.