Ryan Chartrand
Click here to view an interactive history of Mardi Gras since the riots in 2004.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department beefed up its patrols over the weekend and included outside law enforcement agencies in their effort to prevent and control any incidents for Mardi Gras.
Approximately 100 officers were deployed on Friday night, including several from nearby communities, the California Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Department.
The evening began peacefully and about half the officers were released after a few hours. All officers from outside agencies were released by midnight except for the bicycle team from the Sheriff’s Department.
The remaining officers were kept busy after midnight and there were a total of 20 arrests made by 5:30 a.m. Fourteen of those were for alcohol or drug-related offenses and two were for assaults. There were 24 citations issued on Friday night for alcohol, public urination and traffic violations.
Fewer officers were deployed on Saturday given the relative calmness of the previous night and most outside assistance was released by 11:30 p.m., leaving 25 officers on duty.
Due largely to rain, only six arrests were made on Saturday night, according to a police department press release. There were also seven citations issued. All but two of the individuals arrested or cited Saturday night were local residents.