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Hollister Police were kept busy with 253 citywide service calls during the two-day Hollister Independence Rally on the Fourth of July weekend, including more than 70 for illegal fireworks, while Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital treated 14 patients.
But police-issued citations were way down compared to last year.
According to a press release from Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso, the department responded to 96 calls on July 3, the first day of the biker rally, including 15 related to fireworks.
Officers also conducted 32 officer-initiated activities, completed seven criminal investigations, made two arrests and issued three citations citywide.
Meanwhile, enforcement efforts at the rally saw officers complete six criminal investigations, issue one citation and tow one vehicle.
The investigations included three separate cases involving “Get Back Whips,” which are prohibited in California, as well as cases involving grand theft and an informational report.
A “Get Back Whip” is typically a braided leather or paracord strap attached to a motorcycle’s brake or clutch lever, which originated in biker culture and can be used as a weapon especially if they are weighted with metal.
“In California, unless the whip is permanently attached to the motorcycle, a weighted ‘Get Back Whip’ qualifies as a prohibited slingshot under California Penal Code § 22210, making it illegal to manufacture, import, sell, give away, or possess. Individuals found in possession of these weapons may be arrested and criminally charged,” Reynoso stated in the release.
Officers also responded on July 3 to a solo traffic fatality involving a 17-year-old boy who died when the off-road motorcycle he was riding crashed into a parked trailer.
According to the press release, on July 4, the second day of the rally, Hollister Police responded to 157 calls citywide, including 59 related to fireworks. They conducted 35 officer-initiated activities, completed 12 criminal investigations, made six arrests and issued 14 citations, including 10 misdemeanor citations, one municipal code citation for illegal fireworks, one infraction citation and one traffic warning.
The investigations included felony assault, felony domestic violence, felony hit-and-run, driving under the influence of drugs, vandalism, vehicle theft-related offenses, child endangerment and possession of illegal weapons.
At the rally, Hollister police completed eight criminal investigations, made two arrests and issued one citation. Officers also seized numerous “Get Back Whips” and similar illegal weapons during seven additional investigations.
Over the two-day period, officers responded to a total of 74 firework related calls and confiscated more than 54 pounds of illegal fireworks, which were turned over to the Hollister Fire Department for destruction.
Officers issued a total of 19 citations, which is 65 less than last year, according to the release, and only one for illegal fireworks, which is 10 less than last year.
According to Frankie Gallagher, director of marketing and community relations at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, the hospital treated seven patients connected to the rally and seven patients who sustained fireworks-related injuries during the weekend.
She also mentioned that the hospital’s volume of patients “was lower than prior months.”
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