New Year’s Eve shooters, drunk drivers to be targeted by SPPD

December 29, 2006
Santa Paula Police Department

Midnight of New Year’s Eve is a time for noisemakers, but there’s one whose use is strictly banned in the city: shooting firearms into the air as the clock strikes 12.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesMidnight of New Year’s Eve is a time for noisemakers, but there’s one whose use is strictly banned in the city: shooting firearms into the air as the clock strikes 12. Although “Last year I wasn’t on duty New Year’s Eve,” and statistics on the number of incidents are not readily available, “we have those shooters every year,” said Santa Paula Police Lieutenant Mike Saviers.“If you fire into the air, that bullet is going to come down and it will come down with the same or greater velocity that it went up,” he noted. “The SPPD has had past experience where bullets have gone through the roof of mobile homes or houses, people sleeping who woke up and found a bullet in their bed” on New Year’s Day.In years past there have also been incidents of injuries stemming from a bullet that was fired into the air that came crashing down on an innocent bystander who can be blocks and blocks away from the initial discharge. “Anything that a bullet will penetrate as a straight shot it will penetrate coming back down,” and that includes everything from picket fences to car hoods.
Discharging a firearm within city limits is banned by a variety of municipal and state laws, noted Lieutenant Saviers. “The state Penal Code has a section for negligently discharging a firearm” that applies to New Year’s Eve shooters, as does a section of city law.“Both city ordinances and state laws that address discharging firearms and having loaded firearms in public places,” including front yards and sidewalks, among others, will be vigorously prosecuted noted Lieutenant Saviers.“The SPPD will have more police officers - we’re going to try to double our normal number of shift personnel - out for New Year’s Eve. Although the last few years they’ve been pretty mellow, we want to make sure that if something does happen that we’re prepared.”And that also means being on the lookout and arresting drunk drivers, said Lieutenant Saviers. “The SPPD has zero tolerance for drunk drivers,” he noted.



Site Search

E-Subscribe

Subscribe

E-SUBSCRIBE
Call 805 525 1890 to receive the entire paper early. $50.00 for one year.

webmaster