“In the past we’ve had people wake up New Year’s morning with holes in their roofs and a bullet in bed with them,” Saviers noted. “The laws are that you can’t discharge a firearm with disregard for the public safety,” and firing a weapon into the air certainly fits the description. Discharging a firearm within city limits is a crime that can bring fines or imprisonment or both.Saviers said that the SPPD also wants to stress that drinking and driving do not mix, and that officers will be on the lookout for offenders. If you host a party, make sure that there is a designated driver and have plenty of non-alcoholic refreshments and coffee on hand.“If a person having a party knowingly lets an intoxicated guest leave their residence and drive,” the host can be civilly responsible for whatever happens due to the impaired state of the guest. And that includes living with the guilt and heartache that can ensue if the intoxicated driver is arrested or even causes an accident that can hurt or kill themselves or others.Don’t drink and drive, don’t fire guns in the air, “Just be safe and have a good time this New Year’s,” said Saviers. “It’s a brand new year and it would be terrible to start it out in the court system.”
New Year’s Eve: DUI, firing of guns at midnight to be targeted by SPPD
December 28, 2007
Santa Paula Police Department
The Santa Paula Police Department is beefing up patrol on New Year’s Eve and will be particularly targeting those driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and firing guns into the air at midnight, according to a SPPD spokesman.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe Santa Paula Police Department is beefing up patrol on New Year’s Eve and will be particularly targeting those driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and firing guns into the air at midnight, according to a SPPD spokesman. “We’re pretty much doubling the size of patrol on New Year’s Eve,” said Lieutenant Mike Saviers of Monday night’s SPPD activities before 2008 kicks in at 12:00:01 a.m.The SPPD expects the “usual parties, and hopefully everyone will be nice and we won’t have anything to do but increase patrol for party disturbances and DUI enforcement.” At midnight, SPPD officers will also concentrate on the ban of “our usual shooting in the air that we’ll enforce if we can find them,” although Saviers said that such incidents have shown a decline.“Actually it’s been pretty quiet the last couple of years... there haven’t been that many reports of shots fired.” The decrease in such activity is welcome, as what comes up must come down; and the latter can cause injury or even death if someone is struck by a bullet that was fired into the air as a way of celebrating the New Year.
