DNC CONVENTION | Police and protesters credited with restraint at convention

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bernie Sanders' devoted followers were careful to pick up after themselves and wore hats embroidered with a dove to remind everyone to remain peaceful.

And the police, instead of hauling demonstrators off to jail, issued them $50 tickets for disorderly conduct and released them with a complimentary bottle of water.

As the Democratic National Convention drew toward a close this afternoon, Philadelphia police reported making a four-day total of only 11 arrests, and officers and protesters alike were credited with showing restraint and courtesy.

The rallies and marches that some feared would result in violence and mass disruptions instead brought a festival-like atmosphere at times to City Hall and Broad Street.

"I'm very happy so far with everyone," Police Commissioner Richard Ross said. He said his officers "took pride in what they did all week. Very patient, tolerant and courteous is what I was hearing from a lot of people."

Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of Pennsylvania's American Civil Liberties Union, said the department's hands-off approach helped keep things calm.

"This is what it looks like when you just let people get their message out: lots of expression and very little conflict," she said.

As of late this afternoon, in addition to the 11 people arrested, about 100 protesters had been ticketed and fined. The ticketed demonstrators were briefly detained, their hands zip-tied behind their backs, but not technically arrested.