Local agencies within Butte County will be teaming up to police heavy party areas in Chico and at the Sacramento river area in Hamilton City.
The agencies are all signed under the “Avoid the 8” task force, a policing effort funded by the Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
All agencies, including Chico Police, Paradise Police, Oroville Police, Gridley-Biggs Police and the University Police, signed up under the task force will be conducting DUI checkpoints in and out of the Sacramento River area in Chico.
Police from the countywide task force will also have operations in Chico for parties near the south end of campus, said Robyn Hearne, University Police chief.
“The main concerns are in the river and in Chico,” Hearne said. “Experiences taught us that in the south end there are a lot of parties and they’ve got all their personnel working, keeping eyes on our students so they can go back and forth safely.”
In a campus-wide email, Chico Police Department Chief Kirk Trostle warned students of the “One and Done” policy which rules that the police can break up any party with individuals committing acts of violence or vandalism.
Hearne said Labor Day is a time of the year that anyone arrested for any reason must go to court.
“Anytime we get to the weekend, we get a lot of parties,” Hearne said. “There are certain times of the year the district attorney’s office says anyone drunk in public during this time of the year has to go to court. Anyone arrested during this time will be charged in court.”
DUI checkpoints will be held throughout the weekend in Chico and the Sacramento River area.
Christine Lee can be reached at: [email protected] or leechris017 on Twitter