Fun In The Sun: Police report few problems as weekend begins

"It's been pretty good so far."

Lake Havasu City Police Lt. Richie Sloma was in good spirits Saturday afternoon as Memorial Day weekend crowds gathered in and around the Bridgewater Channel.

As of late Saturday afternoon, Sloma said most of the arrests had been for underage drinking, and even those incidents seemed relatively light.

Exact figures won't be available until next week.

Controversial mooring restrictions enacted last weekend were lightened for the holiday weekend and more understandable signs that specifically stated when the mooring areas would be closed already were posted along the manmade waterway by the time the first party goers moored in the Channel late Friday morning.

The restrictions were almost forgotten as the roughly 60 mooring spots that were closed had filled up with tents and people enjoying the shoreline and the channel atmosphere.

Scantily clad women and coolers full of beer were in abundance in the area, but other than having to remind a few groups here and there to tone it down, no citations had been issued as of 3 p.m. Saturday.

Sloma said the biggest issue they were facing were people being distracted.

"Our duty here today is to just protect people from themselves," said Sloma as a man in his early 20s jumped off a boat at the mouth of the south Channel right into the path of two oncoming boats.

There was no collision and some friends pulled the man back into his boat.

Although the crowds were well-behaved Saturday afternoon, police expected to handle more calls during the evening hours as the "sun burn and the beer burn" sink in.

Efforts to keep carbon monoxide levels down appear to be having an affect, as the Channel was not closed once before 4 p.m. Saturday, and only rose to a high level for a brief period around 2 p.m.

Sloma said there had been a good breeze blowing through most of the day, which contributed to better air quality.

Riding along with some patrol officers in one of the patrol boats, most of the Channel patrons cheerfully waved and encouraged police, although they did voice their displeasure a little bit when the officers were forced to confiscate some water guns after repeated warnings to quit firing on the shoreline.

Rowdy behavior in the past has prompted City Council to look into ways of curbing arrests for underage drinking and public lewdness.

You may contact the reporter at ditullio@havasunews.com

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