Tonight on NewsChannel 3 at 5: Why won’t elected officials hire more Beach cops?
The Virginia Beach Police Department has released their preliminary arrest and crime data for the resort area for the weekend of April 25th – 27th.
That weekend, known as “Beach Weekend,” was under scrutiny due to the expected crowds of college students flocking to the area.
In 2013, the weekend resulted in large crowds and a number of violent crimes and arrests.
Beach Police say the number of crowds in 2014 were at least as large as the crowds seen in 2013.
Additional officers were patrolling the Oceanfront and incidents were handled quickly before situations could become dangerous.
Despite the additional support, arrests were up in 2014 compared to the previous year.
Police say 248 people were arrested over the weekend, compared to the 183 arrested in 2013. However, they say that number may be due to the additional police presence at the Oceanfront and that the numbers are comparable to any busy holiday weekend during the summer season.
Police also say nearly all the crimes were minor. Of the 248 arrests, only six were felonies. Most of the crimes were misdemeanors (134) or traffic-related cases (108).
Of the misdemeanor arrests, most were for violation of liquor laws, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace.
Most of the people charged with crimes were from Virginia with 44% being from Hampton Roads (25% being from Virginia Beach.)
