32sunrkt
05-30-2007, 09:11 AM
Holiday weekend described as ‘family friendly'
By DAVID BELL
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:16 PM MST
Police Chief Dan Doyle said the atmosphere in the Bridgewater Channel during Memorial Day weekend has become more “family friendly.”
Doyle and Fire Chief Dennis Mueller outlined their departments' activity this past weekend during a news conference Tuesday at the Police Facility.
Doyle said the jail logged 327 arrests starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ending at midnight Monday, but only one-third of the arrests occurred in the Bridgewater Channel.
Doyle said credit goes to a pair of factors. The Police Department stationed officers and one boat in the Channel's north end for the first time during a holiday weekend. And the department made extensive use of a combined command trailer with cameras that provided a clear view of the south Channel.
“With a number of incidents on camera, we would see an argument start and could direct officers there before it escalates,” Doyle said. “And we got great feedback from families that appreciated the north Channel unit. They said it made a big difference this year.”
There were 293 adults arrested and 34 juveniles. Fifty-six were from Lake Havasu City, 11 from other parts of Arizona and 126 from California. The remainder did not fall in the previous three categories.
Alcohol-related offenses - DUI, drinking in public, open containers in restricted areas, etc. - made up 224 of the arrests, with 147 of those arrested for underage consumption.
There were 42 disorderly conduct arrests and 27 for possession of marijuana or drug paraphernalia. There were three arrests for indecent exposure and two aggravated assaults.
“The number of fights and indecent exposures is on the decrease,” Doyle said. “The behavior ordinance is coming into play.”
Offensive conduct in public places, also known as the behavior ordinance, took effect in August and applies to all public places, not just the Channel and Lake Havasu. It gives officers greater flexibility by placing indecent exposure, public intoxication, violent acts and abusive or obscene language into a single city ordinance.
Mohave County Sheriff's Office also released statistics from its efforts on Lake Havasu and the Colorado River during the holiday weekend.
There were seven boating accidents, only two with minor injuries. MCSO deputies issued 72 safety violations, 11 reckless operation citations and arrested 18 for OUI. There were 11 more arrests for minor consumption of alcohol, disorderly conduct and endangerment.
Deputies also provided 24 boater assists, 14 assists to other agencies and issued 89 violation warnings.
“Overall, the weekend was great with no fatalities or serious accidents to report,” MCSO spokeswoman Trish Carter said in a prepared statement.
Mueller said the Lake Havasu City Fire Department responded to 126 calls for service, 53 emanating from the Channel or the lake area. There were four structure fires and three vehicle accidents.
“The good news is we had no fatalities this holiday weekend,” Mueller said. “We did have one air evac (transported via helicopter) to Las Vegas from a car accident and one air evac because of burns suffered in a barbecue explosion.”
Mueller said the Fire Department got good use of its new fire boat, a 30-foot custom-built vessel by Munson Boats. In between calls for service on the lake, Mueller said he sent members of the department, including himself, out to train on the watercraft.
“It was a good chance to train on actual maneuvers,” Muller said.
You may contact the reporter at dbell@havasunews.com.
By DAVID BELL
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:16 PM MST
Police Chief Dan Doyle said the atmosphere in the Bridgewater Channel during Memorial Day weekend has become more “family friendly.”
Doyle and Fire Chief Dennis Mueller outlined their departments' activity this past weekend during a news conference Tuesday at the Police Facility.
Doyle said the jail logged 327 arrests starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ending at midnight Monday, but only one-third of the arrests occurred in the Bridgewater Channel.
Doyle said credit goes to a pair of factors. The Police Department stationed officers and one boat in the Channel's north end for the first time during a holiday weekend. And the department made extensive use of a combined command trailer with cameras that provided a clear view of the south Channel.
“With a number of incidents on camera, we would see an argument start and could direct officers there before it escalates,” Doyle said. “And we got great feedback from families that appreciated the north Channel unit. They said it made a big difference this year.”
There were 293 adults arrested and 34 juveniles. Fifty-six were from Lake Havasu City, 11 from other parts of Arizona and 126 from California. The remainder did not fall in the previous three categories.
Alcohol-related offenses - DUI, drinking in public, open containers in restricted areas, etc. - made up 224 of the arrests, with 147 of those arrested for underage consumption.
There were 42 disorderly conduct arrests and 27 for possession of marijuana or drug paraphernalia. There were three arrests for indecent exposure and two aggravated assaults.
“The number of fights and indecent exposures is on the decrease,” Doyle said. “The behavior ordinance is coming into play.”
Offensive conduct in public places, also known as the behavior ordinance, took effect in August and applies to all public places, not just the Channel and Lake Havasu. It gives officers greater flexibility by placing indecent exposure, public intoxication, violent acts and abusive or obscene language into a single city ordinance.
Mohave County Sheriff's Office also released statistics from its efforts on Lake Havasu and the Colorado River during the holiday weekend.
There were seven boating accidents, only two with minor injuries. MCSO deputies issued 72 safety violations, 11 reckless operation citations and arrested 18 for OUI. There were 11 more arrests for minor consumption of alcohol, disorderly conduct and endangerment.
Deputies also provided 24 boater assists, 14 assists to other agencies and issued 89 violation warnings.
“Overall, the weekend was great with no fatalities or serious accidents to report,” MCSO spokeswoman Trish Carter said in a prepared statement.
Mueller said the Lake Havasu City Fire Department responded to 126 calls for service, 53 emanating from the Channel or the lake area. There were four structure fires and three vehicle accidents.
“The good news is we had no fatalities this holiday weekend,” Mueller said. “We did have one air evac (transported via helicopter) to Las Vegas from a car accident and one air evac because of burns suffered in a barbecue explosion.”
Mueller said the Fire Department got good use of its new fire boat, a 30-foot custom-built vessel by Munson Boats. In between calls for service on the lake, Mueller said he sent members of the department, including himself, out to train on the watercraft.
“It was a good chance to train on actual maneuvers,” Muller said.
You may contact the reporter at dbell@havasunews.com.