Last Friday may have been a holiday for thousands who took part in the Mile High 420 Festival at Civic Center Park, but it was still very much a workday for Denver Police.
The department handed out 73 citations and issued at least one felony charge during the 420 event at Civic Center park, which drew tens of thousands of people.
That includes twice as many citations for public consumption compared to last year (there were 32 for public consumption, and 16 other violations in 2017). Denver police said over email Monday the 73 total citations/arrests included 60+ tickets for public consumption.
Denver police spokesperson Christine Downs said the majority of the arrests happened at or near the event.
"As with all major events, we worked with the organizer and city partners to ensure a safe festival," Denver police said in a statement. "Overall, the event went well, and we thank those who complied with the laws."
The event was put on by the Euflora dispensary chain after a dramatic and drawn-out permit battle.
Here's the overall breakdown for 2018:
- 64 Consumption of Marijuana
- 2 Marijuana Distribution (Misdemeanor)
- 3 Driving Under Restraint/Driving Under Suspension/Careless
- 1 Traffic Citation
- 1 Misdemeanor Theft
- 1 Urinating in Public
- 1 Felony Menacing (this didn't happen at the event; Dow said this citation was included because the responding officer was working at the event).
The public consumption citation carries a $100 fine. Only one person was arrested for public consumption; Downs didn't have specific details about this arrest, but she said it was likely due to an outstanding warrant.
Overall, Downs said 44 of the people cited this year were Colorado residents, while nine were listed as out of state. At least 20 were unknown, since they didn't provide an ID.
And ICYMI: Kevin was there. He took a lot of photos. Go check 'em out.
