Sedona AZ – The 2023 Independence Day weekend of June 30 to July 4 culminated with a significant increase in service calls and outdoor activity incidents around northern Arizona, per the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office activity report.

CCSO Deputies worked closely with officers from the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, Arizona Game and Fish, and other Northern Arizona public safety agencies to respond to the increased number of service calls.

Community and forest patrols increased the safety of the community and allowed CCSO to concentrate on enforcement measures relating to off-highway vehicle (OHV) operations, illegal campfires, and other prohibited high-risk activities.

For the 2023 holiday time period of June 30 through July 4, CCSO deputies responded to 1098 calls for service, including both citizen and officer-initiated activities:

Below are a sample of statistics and events that occurred over the holiday:

Traffic Stops/ Traffic Enforcement: Deputies throughout the county conducted 169 traffic stops during the holiday weekend, resulting in 16 arrests and 67 citations.
Off Road Vehicle (OHV) Activity: Deputies contacted 51 Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) over the weekend. There were 7 OHV related crashes that CCSO responded to in the county; one of these crashes resulted in fatal injuries in the Forest Lakes District and it remains under investigation by the CCSO Vehicular Crimes Detectives.
Impaired Driving: Deputies made 9 arrests for driving while impaired: Three of the 9 arrests were for Aggravated DUI (Felony Charges). The other 6 DUI arrests resulted in misdemeanor charges.
Boat Contacts: CCSO Deputies on boat patrol contacted 126 vessels over the weekend on Lake Powell and issued 3 citations and several warnings. CCSO also investigated one boat related collision.
Detention Facility: The Coconino County Detention Facility (Flagstaff Facility) receives arrested persons from Coconino Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, Northern Arizona University Police, Williams AZ Police, Arizona Department of Public Safety, and state and federal agencies in the area, such as the National Park Service, US Forest Service and Arizona Game and Fish: During the 2023 period of June 30 – July 4, a total of 117 persons were booked, with 12 of these at the Page AZ Detention Facility.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for funding equipment and overtime to allow CCSO to have extra Deputies on patrol for impaired drivers over the 2023 Independence Day Weekend.

CCSO also thanks all those individuals and our partnering public safety agencies who assisted with responses to the incidents during this holiday weekend and for helping us in our mission to keep our community safe.

Note: The above cited statistics are the best estimates at the time of this media release and are based on field reports from deputies, detention, and dispatch information entered in at the time of the call for service.