Coconino County, AZ – Labor Day Weekend 2023 resulted in a significant number of calls stemming
from outdoor activity in Northern Arizona. The cooler weather resulted in heavy visitation to Coconino
County and the National Forests. Sheriff Deputies worked closely with United States Forest Service,
National Park Service, Arizona Game and Fish, and other Northern Arizona public safety agencies to
address the increased outdoor activity.
CCSO also partnered with Coconino County Parks and Recreation over the weekend at Ft. Tuthill
County Park for the Coconino County Fair. CCSO Deputies maintained a significant presence over the
weekend at the Fair in order to ensure the safety of the many thousands of visitors who attended and
enjoyed the Fair.
For the period of September 1 – September 4, 2023, deputies responded to a total of 781 calls
for service, including both citizen and officer-initiated activities.
Agency Assist 17
Attempt to Locate 7
Business Checks 70
Civil-related Matter 9
Disturbing the Peace 31
Domestic Related Incident 7
DUI Arrests 2
Emergency (911) Hang-Ups 22
Emergency Medical Calls 39
Forest and Community Patrols 84 / 123 (207 total)
OHV/ATV Contacts 32
National Forest Assist 43
Search and Rescue/ Missing Persons 7
Suspicious Activity 11
Total Traffic Stops 95
Below are some notes on statistics and noteworthy events that occurred over the weekend:
Traffic/Moving Vehicle Stops: Deputies throughout the county conducted 95 traffic stops
during the holiday weekend, resulting in 17 speed citations, 2 of which were criminal speed
offenses, 27 other traffic citations (other than speed), and 4 traffic-related arrests.
Off Road Vehicle (OHV) Activity: Deputies made 32 contacts with OHV’s, 10 of these
contacts were crash-related. There was one OHV crash involving a fatality.
Impaired Drivers: Deputies made 2 DUI arrests, both of which involved DUI/Drugs. Blood
results are pending laboratory analysis in both cases.
Other Arrests: CCSO Deputies made 9 non-traffic related arrests over the weekend for various
crimes.
Collisions: Deputies investigated 18 vehicle collisions, including automobiles and OHVs, 3 of
which resulted in injuries and one of which resulted in an OHV-related fatality.
Minor Plane Crash: A small airplane went down at the Marble Canyon Airport runway upon
attempting to takeoff. There were no injuries.
Search and Rescue: CCSO Deputies responded to 7 Search and Rescue reports over the
weekend. Five of the Seven resulted in a response from the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit
Volunteers.
The Search and Rescue Unit responded to one specific fatal drowning incident at Upper Lake
Mary involving a 25-year-old male kayaker who capsized in his kayak and did not know how to
swim. Search and Rescue units worked this scene from the evening of the 4th until the early
afternoon hours of the fifth where, with the assistance from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s
Office Dive Team, the victim was located utilizing the agencies underwater ROV (Remote
Operated Vehicle) and recovered.
Detention Facility: The Coconino County Detention Facility receives arrested persons from
Coconino Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police, Northern Arizona University Police, Williams
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 period of
September 1-4, 2023, a total of 60 persons were booked. 13 of these were at the Page Facility.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all those individuals and our
partnering public safety agencies who assisted with responses to the incidents during this
holiday weekend and in helping to keep our community safe.
Note: Numbers are best estimates at time of data summary based on field reports from
deputies, detention, and dispatch information at the time of this release.