The Isla Vista Foot Patrol responded to a significant increase in crime this weekend in response to the large crowds of intoxicated party-goers roaming the streets of Isla Vista.

Santa Barbara County authorities enforced a 6 p.m. noise ordinance and bolstered other security measures to help manage the community’s notorious Halloween-weekend party scene. Although IVFP Ltnt. Ray Vuillemainroy said officials are still tallying the numbers, the local police station alone made 196 arrests and 249 citations this Friday and Saturday.

According to Vuillemainroy, the additional enforcement procedures helped deter some of the visitors that traveled to the area to join the holiday revelry.

“The crowds were manageable and were relatively smaller than in previous years,” Vuillemainroy said. “It appears there were relatively fewer visitors than in years before.”

The Santa Barbara County Sherriff’s Office also reported 71 medical calls and 19 instances that required search and rescue personnel, who responded to medical emergencies in areas unreachable by vehicle due to crowds. Though there were no reported incidents of anyone falling off cliffs, one subject sustained severe neck and head injuries after falling from a rooftop.

Sponsored by Santa Barbara County’s “Avoid the 12” grant, additional ‘DUI saturation patrols’ covering the Goleta area resulted in three DUI arrests and 55 citations throughout the weekend.

The official estimate of weekend attendance and total cost of law enforcement have yet to be released.

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