Boulder Police keep Halloween problems and arrests to minimum

VIEW HALLOWEEN SLIDESHOW
BOULDER - A peaceful Halloween night came and went in Boulder, marked by a high visible, community-oriented police presence, mild temperatures and no major disturbances.

Police say crowds on the Pearl Street Mall reached approximately 4,000 people and included only one arrest Halloween night.

"Our goal was to have a quiet evening in Boulder, and this was one of the quietest Halloweens we've had in a long time. Our pro-active efforts paid off," said Police Chief Mark Beckner. "We appreciate our department members who spent the holiday at work instead of at home, and city officials who understood the concerns and made the resources available to address them."

This Halloween posed a number of challenges for Boulder Police. They included Halloween falling on a Saturday, a University of Colorado homecoming football game, the switch to Daylight Savings Time, as well as the possibility for a Naked Pumpkin Run and the revival of the Mall Crawl.

Because of the concerns about large crowds and public safety, the Boulder Police Department scheduled more than 100 officers to work Halloween. More than 40 of these officers patrolled the Pearl Street Mall. Another large group watched University Hill, the site of rioting behavior on Halloween five years ago.

"I am proud of our officers and our police department for recognizing the potential problems and planning for Halloween. History has shown us that it is important to address small issues before they become bigger ones, and we accomplished that." said Boulder City Manager Jane Brautigam.

The city is still calculating staff and clean-up costs. Those figures will be available on Monday.