There were 85 people arrested during the first night of Isla Vista’s pre-Halloween weekend celebration, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Another 56 people were cited Friday night and early Saturday for various offenses, many of them alcohol-related, said Sgt. Mark Williams, a department spokesman.
At least 18 people were transported to local hospitals for treatment, Williams said.
The streets of Isla Vista, adjacent to UCSB, become packed with costumed revelers — mainly college- and high school-age young people — on the weekend prior to Halloween.
The community-wide party, which draws thousands of outsiders from throughout California, presents an expensive annual challenge for law-enforcement and public-safety personnel.
The Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue Team provided some two dozen volunteers Friday night to respond to medical emergencies in the most congested areas — such as along bluff-top Del Playa Drive, Williams said.
Patients were transported to a triage tent, and those requiring further treatment were taken by American Medical Response ambulance to local emergency rooms, Williams said.
Law-Enforcement personnel from Santa Barbara, Goleta and Lompoc assisted in “DUI saturation patrols” of the Goleta area Friday night under the Avoid the 12 program, Williams said. The effort was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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