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Halloween Weekend: Know Your Rights

MINH HUA Campus Beat Reporter

The Bottom Line Photo

The offices of the External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) and the Student Advocate General (SAG) held an informational meeting on Sunday, Oct. 21, to present on students’ legal rights during Halloween.

Joining them was Robin Unander from the Legal Resource Center and William Makler, a criminal defense attorney. Here’s what students should be mindful of if they’re going to venture out into Isla Vista:

Use your Fourth Amendment rights if stopped by an officer

If an officer of the law stops you and requests to see your backpack/purse, the Fourth Amendment allows you to deny their request without a warrant. However, if the officer pushes you further, then loudly state “I do not consent to this search” before giving them your possession. Hopefully, their body cameras or someone nearby will be capturing the encounter because in a legal sense, evidence obtained this way will be admissible in court.

You have the right to videotape an encounter

If you believe an officer is engaging in unfair conduct, your friend (who’s hopefully with you and standing at a respectable distance), can and should videotape the encounter. An officer has no right to demand an individual to stop filming. That said, the individual

who’s filming should not be inciting the officer — don’t yell out the fact that you have rights and that the cop can’t take away your property. Just covertly film the encounter so that the video is ensured.

Do not argue

Don’t try to argue your position. An officer isn’t being paid to argue — they’re paid to fill their activity log and to produce statistics. Just follow orders and pray your friend read #2. Have some faith in the legal system.

Do not, under any circumstances, flee from an officer

If an officer hurts himself or herself during the pursuit of a fugitive (you), the fugitive (you) can and will be charged with a variety of charges, one of which is a criminal felony.

Do not hold red cups or any container while walking around I.V.

It doesn’t matter if the cup is empty, upside down or rightside up, carrying red cups around I.V. will only raise suspicion and lead to an encounter with an officer. In that sense, don’t even hold any semblance of a “container of liquids” (e.g., Hydro Flasks, cups, etc.) because doing so will alert an officer to a potential underage drinking charge.

Do not sit on the curb

Sitting on the curb suggests to the officer that you are too drunk to walk, and they are more likely to book you. Even if you are sitting right in front of your house, you can still be “too drunk to walk home.”

If you are female, please note that if you are dressed “fashionably” and are walking alone, an officer will be more likely to pick you up.

According to Makler, there is an unwritten police rule that an officer will be more likely to pick up a “fashionably” dressed female walking alone. The officer will think that his or her action is for your own good. So if you are female and you don’t want to be picked up, either by an officer or a kidnapper, it’s best to travel with friends.

Bikes and Birds

Currently, there are no official sanctions regarding riding Birds and Limes while intoxicated. However, according to Makler, you will most likely be charged with Cycling Under the Influence. A CUI won’t legally land

you in jail or revoke your driver’s license if you’re over 21. However, underaged students charged with a CUI will lose their driver’s license.

Don’t drink to the point of unconsciousness

It’s just good practice.

Venture off with friends

The more the merrier.

Students can visit https://halloween.as.ucsb.edu/resources/ for a list of contacts during Halloween.

Crime Statistics Show a Decrease in Isla Vista Halloween Arrests

JESSICA REINCKE

Image courtesy of Senior Airman Nick J. Daniello

As Halloween approaches in Isla Vista and the fences come up, community members are reminded of the holiday’s past in this city and how far we have come since then. The official Halloween crime stats in Isla Vista from 2014-2017 show a decrease in the number of arrests each year and an overall decrease in the number of citations.

Since 2014, Isla Vista has seen a significant increase in safety measures taken to ensure Halloween here remains local and safe. With evidence of continuing decreases in citations and arrests provided by UC Santa Barbara police department Lt. Robert Romero, it will be interesting to see if this year shows similar results.

This evidence of decreasing criminal activity is noteworthy since the time frame of these statistics gets larger over time. While the number of arrests and citations in 2014 and 2015 are over a three day period and the statistics in 2016 are taken from a four day period, the numbers calculated in the 2017 statistics are taken over a five day period.

While keeping the time frame of these statistics in mind, the arrest numbers dropping from 32 in 2014 to 28 in 2015, 15 in 2016, and 13 in 2017 appear more noteworthy. This is also true when examining how the number of citations drop overall from 38 in 2014 to only 5 in 2017.

This suggests that crime during Halloween in Isla Vista is actually decreasing at a higher percentage than the numbers alone report.

Lt. Robert Romero cites help from partners on campus, and in Isla Vista and Goleta in explaining the decrease in crime.

“We have worked very hard to keep the unsanctioned Halloween weekend local and for our community,” said Lt. Romero. He then goes on to state that “publicity, education, along strict parking enforcement on campus and in Goleta has greatly reduced the amount of out of towners coming into our community.”

One event that has played a significant role in these results is the annual Delirium concert that UCSB organizes for students. According to Romero, the concert “really helped in giving [students] an alternative to just hanging out with out of town friends in Isla Vista.”

Romero explains that the UCPD is “pleased with community effort to keep things local and fun … the collaboration between campus, Isla Vista, and Goleta stakeholders is what keeps these big events safe for everyone.”

While these results reflect positively on the increased levels of safety Isla Vista has achieved over the years, the question still remains as to what is actually the cause of this success.

A lot of main concerns in the past seem to have resolved themselves over time. Students from past years who brought in out of towners have graduated and left Isla Vista behind. Some current students even leave town for the weekend due to the increased safety measures or desire to get away from the excitement.

With all of these new factors occurring in addition to all the efforts locals have put into making Isla Vista safer for the people living here, it is difficult to pinpoint any exact causes that have lead to Halloween festivities becoming more local and safe. Regardless, Romero addressed the question of Halloween becoming more local by stating, “a lot of credit goes to the students themselves.”