Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Amid the roar and rumblings of motorcycles and the explosions of fireworks, Hollister Police Department experienced a busy Fourth of July weekend.
According to the department, it made one arrest during the two-day Hollister Independence Rally starting July 4, and officers also issued 24 citations, including five for a lack of business licenses, at the event in downtown Hollister.
Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso said the business license citations included those issued to people who did not have a vendor license and people who charged for parking on private property, which requires a business license.
At the rally, which had not been held since 2017, police also issued 15 vehicle code tickets and 29 parking citations.
Reynoso said his department used a drone once during the rally event, which he estimates it attracted over 20,000 visitors. He noted that the department was unable to deploy it more often because the drone pilots were working foot patrol.
Reynoso said other drones were operated during the weekend and that “many were in violation of current federal regulations restricting them from being flown over populated areas or large crowds.”
When asked if the event went smooth, he said staff will provide the City Council a comprehensive report that covers security concerns, attendance and potential profit or loss for the rally in August.
Apart from the rally, Hollister police made seven arrests and handed out 60 citations citywide on July 4 and 5. Among the citations were 11 for illegal fireworks.
Hollister Municipal Code includes a $1,000 fine per offense, or imprisonment in county jail for up to 30 days, or both, for “selling, possessing, igniting, firing, participating in, facilitating the use, causing to be exploded or explode any fireworks not classified as safe and sane.”
Police said they received 68 calls for service related to fireworks on July 4 and an additional nine on July 5.
This year saw a decrease in firework-related citations compared to last year, when Hollister police issued 33 citations for fireworks violations. The citations in 2024 were issued between July 4 and July 7.
Reynoso attributed the lower firework-related citations to officers focusing on security at the rally.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.