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Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they made 33 arrests during Fourth of July celebrations uptown and cited nine juveniles for breaking the city's youth curfew.
The department said it made fewer arrests on the holiday than it did a year ago, even though the crowds in the center city and at Saturday's fireworks show at Memorial Stadium were larger than in 2008.
Of the arrests, 31 were of adults, compared with 42 adult arrests the previous year, according to a news release sent early Sunday. Police did not release a breakdown of what the arrests were for.
The two other arrests were of a 14- and 15-year-old, who were cited for disorderly conduct and obstructing the street.
In recent years, the large crowds that have gathered in and around uptown have caused problems.
Four years ago, police broke up a crowd of about 2,000 gathered at Trade and Tryon streets. A year later, police dispersed a crowd of about 800 along North Tryon Street where one person was shot in the face and fireworks reportedly were thrown at people.
Police reported no large disturbances in 2007 but made 169 arrests – more than six times the number in the two previous years.
The department has worked to be more visible in uptown on July Fourth. Deputy Chief Harold Medlock said last week that police planned to focus their efforts on Saturday on people who blocked or slowed traffic or who used explosive fireworks, especially in crowds.
In a Sunday news release, the police department said its officers worked aggressively to enforce laws and to intervene early to avoid escalation. It called the operations plan “thorough and successfully implemented.”
