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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 8:28 a.m., Wednesday, January 2, 2008

New Year's celebrations in Las Vegas 'orderly and safe'

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — With about half as many arrests as last year, and no traffic fatalities, Las Vegas police dubbed annual New Year's Eve celebrations on the Las Vegas Strip and downtown "orderly and safe."

Of more than 300,000 revelers, 79 people were arrested, including five for felony crimes. Two people were booked at the Clark County jail on weapons charges, one for possession of a controlled substance, and one on a felony theft warrant, police said.

"The 2008 New Year's Eve celebration was orderly and safe," police said in a Tuesday statement summing up arrest tallies. During last year's celebration, police arrested 145 people.

Jason Treter, a 25-year-old freelance photographer from San Diego, called ringing in the new year with his family and several thousand other people on the Strip outside Paris Las Vegas one of the wilder experiences in his life.

He said he thought police did a good job handling a crowd that appeared fairly well-mannered.

"What makes it special was people came from all over the world," Treter said. "I must have heard 28 to 30 different languages."

No traffic fatalities were reported in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, but 36 traffic accidents occurred from 6 p.m. Monday to 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to Las Vegas police.

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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, www.lvrj.com