A parade of Deltopia partygoers took over the streets of Isla Vista last weekend, but for the second straight year, arrests and citations went down dramatically compared to previous beachside blowouts.
An estimated 3,500 people showed up this year, a stark difference to the almost 10,000 at 2015’s springtime affair. In a statement, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover said no major incidents were reported. She thanked both UCSB and SBCC for their efforts to encourage students to stay safe.
UCSB hosted events for its students during the weekend as an alternative to the unsanctioned party, and the Keep Isla Vista Safe coalition campaigned with ads for personal responsibility.
Hoover also thanked Isla Vista residents in her statement. “The Sheriff’s Office wants to once again thank the students in Isla Vista who helped keep this a ‘locals only’ event by not encouraging out-of-towners to attend,” she said.
Students from both colleges and the UCSB Isla Vista volunteer group handed out water and snacks, as well as helped police remind students of local laws. One hundred officers from the UC system assisted Santa Barbara law enforcement with crowd control, and a strict 6 p.m. music curfew was imposed. Less than 50 arrests and citations each were issued over the weekend with 10 calls for medical transports; in 2014, there were 130 arrests and 50 medical transports.
