Police around the U.P. report fewer arrests than years past.
A much quieter New Year's Eve night for Marquette City Police this year. In year's past, officers say crowds in the downtown area had been rowdier.
They're not sure how many people actually stood in the street for the ball drop.
There were police cars on the corner of Front and Washington Street for the annual event, and one officer said that kept people at ease and possibly acted as a deterrent for underage drinking.
"Last (Thursday) night went relatively smooth--no major incidents happened downtown, weather somewhat cooperated, and I guess they had a pretty decent crowd from what we heard," said patrolman Timothy Forslund.
Police presence could also be the reason there weren't as many DUI arrests.
Despite all the celebrating, Dickinson and Iron counties got good news to begin the new year. No drivers from either county were arrested for driving under the influence Thursday night.
Normally New Year's Eve is one of the busiest times of the year for police officers giving drivers DUIs.
The Iron County Sheriff's Department attributes the decrease in DUI arrests to awareness and education of the drivers.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC