Cleanup from the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, only four arrests

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - Only four arrests were made in West Hollywood in connection with the annual West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, touted as the world's largest Halloween party, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

Large crowds of people also gathered Monday night in Hollywood, where reports of crime were also fewer than in previous years, and there were only around 40 arrests, most of them alcohol-related, the Los Angeles Police
Department reported.

In West Hollywood, people were for the most part well-behaved at the huge street party that began at 6 p.m. Monday along Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard and continued into the early morning hours Tuesday, with calls for law enforcement service being slower than previous years, authorities said.

Only four arrests were made, said the watch sergeant at the sheriff's West Hollywood Station, and those arrests were related to drunken and disorderly conduct.

The grand celebration is known for party-goers' creatively designed and often over-the-top costumes.

"West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is always so much fun,'' said Mayor Lauren Meister. "Every year I'm amazed at the creativity that people put in to their costumes for the festivities. Halloween on Santa Monica Boulevard brings together people from all over the region and it's an incredible affirmation of our community's inventiveness and originality. It's part of what makes West Hollywood extraordinary.''

She put the cost of maintaining security at between $600,000 and $700,000.

The Carnaval began in 1987 and has grown annually, evolving into a Southland and national phenomenon.

The Los Angeles Police Department staffed a joint command post with the sheriff's department, said LAPD Officer Sal Ramirez, and officers with the LAPD's Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau collaborated with sheriff's personnel to help maintain order, said LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Downing.

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