Coachella music fest arrests down this year by 15%, Indio police say

Arrests dropped by about 15% for both weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival when compared with last year, police reported Wednesday.

During the second weekend of Coachella that ended Sunday, a total of 98 people — out of more than 120,000 attendees — were arrested over three days, according to Indio police.

Roughly 87% of the arrests were drug- or alcohol-related, police said. Eight people were arrested for false identification and two for possession of drugs for sale. Two arrests were categorized as "other."

The number of arrests made during weekend 2 were down 23% from the second weekend last year, which totaled 128. In 2016 and 2017, arrests hovered around 126.

During the first weekend of Coachella, 99 people were taken into custody, compared with 106 last year.

The drops coincide with recent law-enforcement changes at the festival, including the use of drones to monitor crowds and traffic conditions.

Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said those tools — along with an online reporting system that diverted many festivalgoers' lost-and-found inquiries away from emergency lines — helped law enforcement better prioritize their time and resources.