Chico Police encounter fewer arrests this Cesar Chavez Holiday than in the past years.
Chico police take days to prepare themselves for a heavy number of arrests that will occur on the Cesar Chavez holiday. Although throughout the years the number of arrests has decreased, no one gets the day off at the station.
All departments pitch in to help keep the community safe during the holiday.
“The department will always have extra staffing on hand to deal with increased activity on Cesar Chavez Day,” said Sgt. Rob Merrifield.
The Numbers
While the number of arrests have been up and down through the years, the most recent police-call statistics shows numbers decreasing.
According to Chico police, 43 arrests were made on the weekend in 2010, a number that fell to 34 this year. Most of these arrests involved a number of things, but they all had alcohol or substance abuse in common.
The fluctuations from year to year included:
From 2010 to 2011, there was an increase in numbers due to the day landing on a Thursday rather than Wednesday. Partiers apparently decided to make the holiday a long weekend.
In 2012, 42 arrests were made and in 2013 Chico police made 61 arrests. This increase in arrests correlated with the day the holiday landed on.
In the past, 61 has been the highest number of arrests made.
Police said that this year’s numbers were down because fewer visitors came to town to celebrate.
“The low number of out-of-town arrests is typically indicative of an event that is manageable for the department. That proved true for this event,” according to a 2016 Chico Police Department press release.
Types of Arrests Made
Police statistics for 2016 show the relationship between drugs, alcohol and arrests.
Most of the arrests were for being drunk in public. According to police logs, a majority of these arrests were made between 2nd and Hazel down to 8th and Ivy.
Chico is a small town where all the bars cluster in one spot. This accounts for each year’s most common type of arrest occurring in the downtown area.
Crimes not involving alcohol are less common when it comes to the types of arrests made during the holiday.
The Day
The number of arrests is highly correlated to which day of the week the holiday lands on. In 2012 and 2013, higher numbers of arrests were made because it fell on a weekend.
The numbers decrease when the holiday falls on a Monday or Wednesday. However, popular Chico bars downtown host their deals on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the number of arrests then are higher.
In 2014, when the holiday landed on a Monday, seven arrests were made on Monday and Tuesday.
Chico Police and the Chico State Office of Diversity both encourage students to honor Cesar Chavez on this holiday rather than drink.
“During this time, Chico State students are encouraged to help out in the community and commemorate this holiday in a thoughtful manner,” according to the Cultural Holiday, Events and Celebrations Committee.
While police prepare themselves for each year’s festivities, alcohol stores stock up.
“We get a lot of business around the holidays,” said Mike Gride, manager at Ray’s Liquor near the Chico State campus. “This Cesar Chavez, we almost didn’t have enough to provide the students along with the out of towners.”
Gride mentioned his employees work with the police to be cautious when checking identification to prevent selling alcohol to minors. He said he will refuse to sell to anyone who seems somewhat intoxicated to prevent over drinking.