The Indio Police Department reported a 36% increase in arrests during Week 2 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival compared to the same week in 2019, a Monday press release from the Department said. Traffic-related citations also climbed, with the total being 81% higher than in 2019.
Indio police made a total of 133 arrests during the second week (April 22-24), up from 98 in 2019; the release said. The majority of arrests, 106, were related to drugs or alcohol, including intoxication. The 96 citations, up from 53 in 2019, largely involved the unlawful use of handicap-parking placards.
"With the assistance of our neighboring cities and local law-enforcement partners, traffic congestion was kept to a minimum during camping load-in and campers settled in for the weekend festivities with no major concert-related incidents," the release said.
This is the first year the festival has been back in action since 2019 due to the COVID-19 shutdown, a Monday NBC Palm Springs report said.
The second week of the 2022 festival also stood out for more arrests and citations than the first week, the NBC report said, citing a 19% increase in arrests and 26% climb in citations from the first week to the second. The two weekends saw a total of 245 arrests and 163 citations.