Halloween Doesn’t Match Police Fears This Season

For Orange County, the scariest night of the year passed into November relatively quietly this year, with no major Halloween night incidents reported in area cities.

Police were busy with an above-average number of traffic accidents, drunk drivers and raucous parties for a midweek night, but most agencies reported that Halloween did not live up to their fears.

“We expected the worst,” Fullerton Police Lt. Tony Hernandez said about 9:30 p.m. “But it’s been real quiet; there’s been nothing major to speak of.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department handled a larger than normal number of Thursday night car crashes and complaints about loud parties, but the steady flow of reports did not include any major crimes, according to Lt. Fred Lisanti.

And at the Orange County coroner’s office in Santa Ana, the grim site where the worst crimes are cataloged, investigators were busy with lighthearted affairs.

“A lot of trick-or-treaters,” one deputy investigator reported. “We’ve been giving out candy all night.”

While the crime logs were clear of high-profile incidents, Irvine Police Sgt. Jim Potts said the streets were not free from Halloween hazards. “It’s been a nightmare all night,” Potts said, rattling off a list of pranks, parties, concerts and football games that had Irvine officers scrambling throughout the evening.

And the worst crimes reported? Potts said there were at least five reports of holiday-themed robberies--youngsters having their Halloween candy taken away by force.

“The big kids think its funny, but for the little kids its devastating,” Potts said. “It’s mean-spirited and it’s a shame, but I guarantee its happening in every city tonight.”