Miami

153 Arrests So Far During Urban Beach Week: Miami Beach Police

Urban Beach Week was coming to a close Monday as tourists were getting their last minute fix of South Florida sunshine on Memorial Day.

"Very sad to be going home. This is like heaven! We just got a chunk of heaven!" tourist Bessy Payne said.

The unofficial city event got off to a violent start with a drive-by shooting early Thursday, but Miami Beach Police statistics show the rest of the weekend was relatively peaceful.

"I feel safe because the police is everywhere. I'm not scared of nothing," tourist Junier Leveque said.

According to police, they made 153 arrests through Sunday, a figure slightly higher than last year but significantly lower than 2014 and 2013. Most arrests were for disorderly conduct and drug related charges.

"[There was] a lot of patrolling, the streets were really like, it wasn't as chaotic as the last time I came," tourist Meghan Jones said.

Police also stepped up their presence on social media, uploading photos with visitors and expanding their community outreach.

"Our officers do this on a day-to-day basis," police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said. "This was a successful weekend so we had the time to interact with the public and take these positive images."

Traffic patterns are back to normal, except for Ocean Drive that will remain pedestrian only until 7 a.m. Tuesday.

As an extra safety precaution, police will continue reading license plates while people drive into Miami Beach.

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