Traffic - Spring Break 2007
The phrase “Spring Break” means different things to different age groups from teenagers cooped up in a classroom all winter looking forward to the freedom, old fogies who recall the good ole days, to the very young who think of Disneyland. It also conjures up all sorts of memories for anyone who has been in St. George longer than 10 years. Cram 15,000 kids into 3 blocks and Spring Break used to be out of hand to say the least. Officers found bath tubs full of beer with 20 boys staying in a room, fights and assaults, rocks being thrown into the throngs of kids standing along the streets, rear-end crashes that happened when the light changed but the cars couldn’t move due to the kids in the roadway, and the gauntlets that would push and shove the guys and fondle and grope the girls as they made their way through the crowds.
Activities were planned but not attended. Tabernacle from Main to 100 East was blocked off. 4 bands performed but only a little over 100 people came to the dance. Truckloads of sand were taken out to the old airport to have beach volleyball. Officers reported only 4 cars that went that way all night. Concerts were held in the Sunbowl, but failed to attract any to listen except the residents who lived nearby. The kids, when asked, replied that they “just wanted to hang.”
Now it is relatively calm. It is hard to see the difference between Easter weekend and any other weekend in March or April. There are fun-runs and bike rides, soccer and softball tournaments and the Arts Festival all through these months, and the out-of control Spring Break has taken a back seat to more wholesome events and activities. What made the change possible? How did St. George drop out of the number three spot in the nation for Spring Break as ranked on MTV?
St. George Police officials realized that changes needed to be made. We began to operate on the Broken Windows theory, which states that unattended disorderly behavior leads to greater crime and disorder, much like the building that gets rundown and demolished if the first broken window is not taken care of.
The city passed an ordinance that, during the week prior to Easter Sunday, motel owners could not rent a room to a minor unless accompanied by a parent, and the parent cannot rent and then leave the child there. They must remain in the room with the child. This eliminated the bathtubs full of beer and many other associated problems and violations.
The police began to more strictly enforce the pedestrian in the roadway statute, which states that a pedestrian may not walk in the roadway if there is a sidewalk provided. Rear-end crashes were greatly reduced because kids weren’t asking for rides and jumping in and out of vehicles.
Officers encouraged stationary pedestrians to continue moving so as not to obstruct other pedestrian traffic, and this eliminated the gauntlets and words being exchanged that led to the assaults and fights.
Many businesses put up No Loitering signs, which eliminated the mounds of garbage and trash the next morning.
This pro-active approach has spread out the crowds of people enjoying Spring Break. Instead of crowding into three blocks, they are spread all over town. What does happen is easily handled by the area officers.
Enjoy Spring Break and Easter weekend. Those who come are generally law abiding and want to do what’s right, but anyone can be tempted. Remove the temptation and the opportunity. Take precautions by locking your car, removing personal items from view, closing the garage door. Require your kids to tell you where they will be, who they will be with, what they will be doing and when they will return. Report any suspicious activity to the police. Be safe and have fun. This is a great place to be!
Sgt. Craig Harding
Public Information Officer |
