St. Patrick’s Day Chico 2022
St. Patrick’s Day in Chico has a long standing history of being an opportunity for locals and college students alike to enjoy the Irish holiday with friends and celebration. Unfortunately, sometimes this celebrating can lead to excessive alcohol consumption and the problems which tend to arise from excessive alcohol consumption.
During the last nearly ten years, the St. Patrick’s holiday has fallen during the Spring Break for CSU Chico students. This timing has limited the activity a great deal due to the majority of students being out of town for the break. This year was no exception. This fact, combined with a reduction in the number of students due to COVID, caused a near complete absence of house parties in the south campus and west side areas. The main activity seen during the afternoon, evening and night hours revolved around downtown bars and restaurants. Though still manageable, the Chico Police Department had an approximate 20% increase in calls for service compared to one week prior. Regular patrol staffing was increased with a special team whose purpose was to address specific holiday-related activity in Chico’s downtown area and west side.
In total, during the hours of 7 a.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday, the following statistics were tabulated:
Total arrests: 8
DUI arrests: 1
Public Intoxication: 3
Other: 4
Total Alcohol related citations: 1
Total calls for service: 270
Typically, alcohol related citations are associated with house parties in the south campus and west side areas of Chico (Open Container, Minor in Possession of Alcohol etc.). The absence of house parties this year had an obvious impact on the number of such violations with only one alcohol related citation. Pre-COVID years saw as many as 40 such citations during the same time period.
Supervisors: P. Durfee S16, M. Escobedo S7, J. Adrian S14, T. Ferreira S4 Watch Commander: T. Tupper L7
The Chico Police Department is committed to ensuring our community is a safe place to live, work, and recreate within!