Dozens arrested New Year’s Eve in Santa Cruz
Officers teamed up to crack down, as thousands brought in 2016 on the streets of Santa Cruz.
“Previous New Years we’ve hit as high as 50 or 60. In Summer we can have 20 or 30 on any given Friday or Saturday night,” said Santa Cruz County Jail Sergeant Ryan Fulton.
So 24 on a night notorious for drinking is a win.
“It could have been because of the cold, it could be because everyone is behaving, it could be to the new recovering center that opened up next door,” said Fulton.
An alternative to incarceration, The Janus Sobering Center opened its doors in June of 2015.
“Our primary role is just to allow a safe place for people to sober up, after that it’s essentially done,” said Medical Specialist Sam Price.
The center provides people with around the clock care and guides people struggling with alcohol abuse in the right direction.
“What we do here is provide referrals to outside agencies. And I think it’s the first step to decriminalizing alcohol intoxication,” said Price.
The center only accepts first time DUI offenders, and people who are brought in because they were drunk in public.
“After this they are formally discharged and then it’s like they we’re never charged with anything,” said Price.
If you get pulled over and it’s not your first DUI then you aren’t even eligible to stay at the Janus Sobering center, you’ll actually be booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail.
“DUI’s come with stiff fines. You know unless you have a prior DUI or two prior DUI’s will they get jail time on their first offense but every situation is unique,” said Fulton.
