ASU and Tempe police officials said security for the debate went off without any snags.
Tempe police Sgt. Dan Masters said security for the event was well executed.
"I think it went extremely well given the magnitude of the event and emotions involved," Masters said.
More than 600 police and law enforcement officers from more than a dozen agencies did not have to stop any parades or protests last week.
In total, only four arrests were made as a result of disruptive conduct Wednesday in Tempe.
ASU police Cmdr. John Sutton had a similar evaluation of debate security.
"The only complaints we have received [from last week] pertained to traffic problems," Sutton said.
Sutton said there were only two incidents on campus that were reported to police.
One incident involved a 24-year-old female ASU student who carried a John Kerry sign on Hayden Lawn. Sutton said an unknown man struck her in the head with a Bush-Cheney sign, but she did not require medical attention.
Sutton said two arrests were also made in a separate incident about 1 a.m. on Thursday on the south side of Hayden Library.
Two Tempe men were arrested for verbally threatening ASU workers who were dismantling equipment from the debate.
"ASU police are very tolerant," he added. "I think the other departments [that worked with us] acted professionally and met our standards as well."
Students said they didn't mind the extra police presence for the debate.
Business marketing senior Kevin Jacobsen said he stayed off campus during the debate, but only because his classes were canceled.
"I knew that because it was such a big deal there was going to be a lot of security on campus, and I didn't want to get caught up in any expected delays," Jacobsen said.
On Wednesday, about 1,000 people participated in protest march on campus without any incidents or arrests.
Jacobsen said most students understood the need for safety.
"I don't know if anyone would protest [the security] because it is welcomed in the time we live in," Jacobsen added. "It's better [to be] safe than sorry."
Reach the reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu
