The Pullman Police had a busy Halloween weekend, responding to a total of 137 calls for help. The majority of calls regarded noise complaints and driving offenses, according to Pullman PD call logs.
According to Police Commander Ruben Harris, the largest threat to public safety over the weekend was DUI incidents. Five individuals were arrested over the weekend for impaired driving, with one individual blowing a blood alcohol level of around three times the legal limit.
Harris said that while that number of DUI arrests was on the high end of common, the department typically sees similar numbers on game days or other high-risk weekends.
“That’s an area of emphasis for us. It’s also unfortunately a continuing problem…if people are doing that, I want to catch them, but if we had zero DUI arrests because there were zero DUIs, that would be wonderful,” Harris said.
None of the DUI arrests resulted from accidents, and no property or people were hurt in any of the incidents. Most traffic calls involved reports of bad driving that did not result in major incidents, according to Harris.
Another stand-out report to dispatch involved an individual arrest for malicious mischief after intentionally throwing eggs at neighborhood vehicles and at the front windows of the police department, according to Harris. After the man was stopped by police, the suspect allegedly threw a few eggs directly at personnel vehicles and took off running before being apprehended.
“He just said he was bored,” Harris said. “So, if you’re bored on Halloween, apparently you egg everything.”
Malicious mischief, a charge relating to property damage, is common on busy weekends, according to Harris, with incidents ranging from smashed pumpkins to broken property during arguments.
Nearly 20 calls to dispatch came from noise complaints, with the majority originating from areas of student housing, such as College Hill.
According to Harris, to keep up with the influx of calls, Pullman PD typically doubles staffing for weekends such as Halloween, graduation, or home football games and issues reminders encouraging students and citizens to stay safe.
“We’re always trying to figure out the best ways to engage with students… based on the comments and feedback, we’re reaching community people in Pullman, but not necessarily students to a real high degree… from foot patrols to programming for IFC to, we’re always looking for ways to better connect with the students themselves,” Harris said.
Harris also stated that safety is always a particularly high concern for the police department around this time of year. As freezing weather approaches, the department encourages taking extra precautions, especially along the roadways.
“The first major snow of the year is always terrible for collisions,” he said. “I would love for people to slow down, take bus routes, and avoid steep hills.”
Additionally, the incoming cold weather can bring about additional danger like losing sense of surroundings, according to Harris.
“Winter is a really bad time to get so intoxicated that you get lost… every winter we run into situations where somebody ends up in the hospital because they got intoxicated, they got lost, and they got very, very cold, like dangerously cold. In Washington state, if you call for any kind of medical concern, nobody’s getting in trouble for the consumption of controlled substances,” Harris said.
Harris said Pullman Police will continue to monitor traffic and large gatherings heading into the holiday and graduation season.
“Every time there’s a large crowd with a good proportion of people drinking, we’re paying attention,” he said. “Traffic and pedestrian safety remain our biggest concerns.”
