The controversial new noise and party rules will trim some of Chico’s rough edges, not lead to mass arrests or a war on fun.
That’s a summary of the official reaction in the wake of passage of stricter ordinances covering large gatherings and separately, the noise they tend to create.
Chico Police Lieutenant Rob Merrifield said the older rules left some significant holes.
“On those occasions when people said, or they just ignored the officers and decided they weren’t going to break it up, the officers really didn’t have any legal authority to make them leave, to compel them to leave,” Merrifield said.
Exuberant and often rowdy parties have been begrudgingly accepted as a tradeoff for hosting a large college campus. But noting success elsewhere, this week officials adopted rules based on those already on the books in San Luis Obispo, home to a similarly sized university.
The new ordinances no longer require a signed citizen complaint. Police will be empowered to act on a verbal report and their own judgment.
While that might be music to the ears for some long suffering neighbors, the rules have also raised fears that police will overzealously apply them.
Merrifield said that’s not the case.
“We’re not trying to control behavior to that extent, we know that young people are going to be out there partying — if we were their age, we probably would be too,” he said.
He said that officers will look for clues that a party is getting out of control, such as “people up on the roof, plus people that are spilling out into the street and blocking roads and sidewalks, walking into traffic, minors walking around with alcohol.”
Merrifield said police will be able to address issues before they become problematic.
In a related story, Chico police today unveiled a cellular telephone application. The app is aimed at easing public access to information, enabling the transfer of crime tips and providing emergency information.