Burning Man stats are in, and it’s definitely not good news.

In 2014, 7 people were arrested in Black Rock City for various reasons, including drugs, trespassing and even sexual assault. But 2015 was a shocker, with a whopping 41 people arrested, which is a 600% increase, a majority for “trafficking of a controlled substance”. The second most frequent charge this year was “possession of a controlled substance for sales”, which isn’t all that different from the first.

The reason the drug-related charges are surprising is that the festival is known for its drug use, but it has generally been the law enforcement’s duty to control people disturbing peace, not arrest anybody in possession of drugs. Perhaps the stats also have a lot to do with the fact that Burning Man is facing a crowding problem, with over 70,000 people attending this year. One improvement is that there were zero sexual assault charges, compared to 12 in 2013.

BM1(Image Courtesy: blog.burningman.com)

Burners.me, a community website created by Burners, has cited the cause as being “procedural changes” and the shift in responsibility of policing the event. Here are the 2015 stats compared to 2014:

 

2015 Arrest Statistics

from Pershing County Sheriff’s Office

Population Size (estimated):

70,000 paid participants

9,000 workers

Total Population: 79,000

Total Cops: 192 – (150 BLM; 34 PCSO;Β 8 Washoe)

Total Arrests: 41

  • Trafficking of a controlled substance: 19
  • Possession of a controlled substance for sales: 6
  • Trespassing: 3
  • Warrant for failure to appear: 3
  • Possession of a prescription medication without a script: 2
  • Battery: 2
  • Unregistered sex offender: 1
  • Driving under the influence with accident: 1
  • Assault with a deadly weapon: 1
  • Battery on a public officer: 1
  • Kidnap: 1
  • Grand larceny: 1

Total Incidents: Unknown

Total Citations:Β 600+

2014 Arrest Statistics

(fromΒ all law enforcement, including BLM)

Population Size (Peak, 8/29/14):

65,922 paid participants

9,312 workers

Total Population: 75,234

Total Cops: 185 (150 BLM; 27 PCSO; 8 Washoe)

Total Arrests: 7

  • 1 sexual assault
  • 4 drugs
  • 1 domestic violence
  • 2 trespassing

Total Citations: 392

Total Incidents: 1,902

  • 334 public assists
  • 860 traffic stops
  • 520 verbal warnings
  • 230 written warnings
  • 392 citations.
    • 104 were issued on the road entrance,
    • 205 were issued for possession of a controlled substance
      • 117 marijuana,
      • 30 ecstasy,
      • 18 cocaine,
      • 40 other
      • 52 multiple drug types
      • 50 motor vehicle violations.