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Troubled New Year's Eve spot quiet

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It was hard to go anywhere in Uptown without bumping into a police officer during the First Night celebration on New Year’s Eve.

"Center City was flooded pretty much with officers they would patrol in groups of four to six,” said Jean Wassenaar, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Hundreds of officers patrolled the streets, backed up by sheriff’s deputies, fire, Medic, and ALE agents. But Uptown wasn’t the only place blanketed by cops.

"It was quiet compared to a couple of years I have been here,” said Larissa Hammond who has lived in Boulevard Holmes for two years. The public housing community has a history of problems on New Year’s Eve.

Officer Eric Herron is with the Westover division.

"A lot of gunfire in the area, fireworks going off, in the past they have set some roofs and buildings on fire,” he said.

Wednesday night police saturated Boulevard Holmes with 15 officers instead of the usual one or two that would have patrolled the area.

Herron said, "There were a lot of people coming down West Boulevard. They would see how much officer activity there was in there and they would move on."

Hammond is thankful for the difference.

“Last night I felt safe, I felt good, and I mean they was on it they had them everywhere,” she said. “They were on bicycles, they were on four wheelers, they were walking."

Police say the deterrence worked officers only made one arrest in Boulevard Holmes Wednesday night and 28 in Uptown, primarily for minor crimes like public drunkenness. Eighteen juveniles were picked up for violating curfew.