Fourth of July arrests fall again in Newport, to 86, police say
Arrests during the Fourth of July holiday period declined in Newport Beach for the seventh consecutive year, marking continued progress in local law enforcement’s effort to temper the Balboa Peninsula’s reputation as an Independence Day party zone, police said Tuesday.
Officers arrested 86 people between 6 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, marking the second consecutive year that arrests were below triple digits, authorities said. Last year’s total was 94, which was down from 120 in 2014 and 124 in 2013.
The majority of this year’s arrests, 63, were alcohol-related, mostly public intoxication, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella. Three people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and six on suspicion of possession of narcotics, Manzella said.
Other arrests involved battery, fighting, domestic violence, possession of stolen property and an outstanding warrant.
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Newport police responded to 1,071 calls for service during the holiday period, down from 1,218 last year.
“I’m pleased to say that we’ve continued to build on the successes of previous years and that this holiday had a lower level of police activity than we’ve seen in the past,” Manzella said.
Arrests during the Fourth of July holiday have been gradually dropping since 2010, when the Police Department began cracking down on the party atmosphere in West Newport that residents had long complained had gotten out of control. Police tripled fines in some areas and flooded the Balboa Peninsula with patrols, some in cars and others on ATVs or horseback, to help rein in the celebrations.
In response to the declining arrests, however, police are easing back the number of personnel assigned to monitor the city for July 4.
Last year, Newport called in 100 staff members from outside agencies to help. This year, it brought in 75.
The department also has reassigned some officers from the party zones to deal with other nuisances like fireworks, which are illegal in Newport. The number of fireworks-related citations this year was not immediately available.
In neighboring Costa Mesa, police responded to two reports of disorderly conduct Sunday.
In an incident around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, a minor reportedly was lighting fireworks in the 2100 block of Pomona Avenue.
Numerous citations were issued for illegal fireworks, said police Lt. Greg Scott.
The total number of Fourth of July arrests and citations in Costa Mesa will not be available until Saturday, authorities said.
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Hannah Fry, [email protected]
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
