I.V. Foot Patrol: Friend or Foe?

Oh well, maybe I'll get some coffee and watch a TV show and forget something.

Alex, you provide some great info I've not read elsewhere; nice community reporting, thanks.

Alex, good points, but there's 1 point that isn't mentioned: Isla Vista is located in Santa Barbara County & is therefore subject to the same laws, penal codes & ordinances as the rest of the county. It isn't immune from those entities. I know many think it is Fantasyland & can gat away w/ anything they want because after all, "it's I.V. man!" (the most common excuse of those busted). I live on the 6600 block of Sueno (since 1989) & can tell you for the most part is has been a great 20 yrs. Then again, I've had to defend our home from idiots trying to:
1) Beat up our mailbox (1 guy got a black eye, bloody lip & nose & a chipped tooth).
2) Car burglary (chased those guys down w/ my paintball gun, caught 1 & gave him the whuppin his mom & dad should' given him).
3) Trying to throw our garbage around (made him pick it all up w/ bare hands, it was either that or a harsher consequence).
4) Trying to steal my neighbor's bikes (amazing what a foot to the back of the neck can accomplish!).
Many more to mention, but you see where I'm going w/ this.
I love I.V. & will never move from here. The IVFP has (& has always had) my support. This is coming from someone who has (& sometimes still does) launched his share of water ballons, shot potato cannons, played in numerous punk & speed metal bands, thrown parties, built & skated many ramps in town, many other acts.
The big thing here is I never got arrested or cited because I didn't act like a drunken idiot, took responsibility for his own actions & didn't blame others.
Again, great article, as an I.V. life resident I enjoyed it, but all you have to do is remember the chaos that Halloween in I.V. brought back in 1990-1992: Gang brawls, sexual assault, some minor rioting. No surprise the law enforcement is out en masse. I wish it would become a local event, but leave it to the out of towners to ruin the gig. Always has been the case, always will be the case :) henry

Damaging students lives? The cops aren't doing that, they students choosing to get wasted are. Not a fan of this article by any means.

Wow hank, you sound like a real tough guy! I'll bet your wife knows when to keep her mouth shut!

That's why everyone should come to a place known far and wide as... NEW ORLEANS

we don't talk about our partying... it speaks for itself

In other words, when don't talk a big game... we are the game
music, fun, halloween, WIDESPREAD PANIC & Galactic

Kratatoa: Why not leave Hank's wife out of this and address the fact that these people are just a bunch of spoiled drunken brats who don't respect the property of others.

HAHAHAHA! Tough guy, kratatoa, what are you, 1 of the Jerky Boys or what?
Sounds to me from your comment that you're:
1) 1 of the deviants I practiced the "tough guy" thing on. If that's the case, move on & I hope you learned something in the process, such as not to be a jackass in my airspace.
2) You really don't know my wife & me @ at all & have made said ignorant comment on your lack of knowledge of my wife & me & our loving relationship that we've happily shared the past 6 yrs which would make you full of krapatoa.
I'll go 1 further by saying that if you were 1 of our neighbors, who happen to NOT be fans of idiot behavior, I'd gladly have your back as well.
Ask any of my neighbors (all UCSB or SBCC students) past & present how I've been to them & how grateful they were to have somebody around to stand up beside them & I'm sure you'd see a better picture than your online-hide-behind-a screen-name myopic mentality provides.
But hey, it sounds like your feeble attempt @ a point shows you don't know my wife (who comes 1st in my list) & me & I will be DAMNED if I allow anyone to disrupt our lives w/ idiot behavior.
Like Bill points out:"spoiled drunken brats who don't respect the property of others." If you're 1 of those, consequences do occur.
But gotta laugh it off, tough guy, that's a new 1 on me! HAHAHA! :) henry

I have to agree with Hank and take a stand on the other side of Alex's column. While well-written, a few things have to be acknowledged about IV. First, I've read elsewhere, but cannot confirm, that IV is the most densely populated census district in the country west of the Mississippi. As such, with such an overcrowded area, you are going to have a much higher rate of crime. I'm a teaching assistant at the university, and it seems that nearly every quarter, I have a student approach me saying they can't turn in homework or papers because their computer was stolen in a burglary. Personally in IV, I've seen a guy urinating in the street, a fight, and a girl up on a table stripping her clothes off to the chants of the on-lookers (while obviously intoxicated) at the Subway. The fact is that IV has a disproportionate problem with crime compared to other areas in the county.

When Halloween is considered, this becomes even more prevalent. The fact is that when you have tens of thousands of people on the street, many of whom are intoxicated, there is an environment where people are more likely to make poor decisions and break the law. Pinkerbell03 is dead on when saying that the students/visitors are the ones who choose to make those decisions. And despite arguments to the contrary, people who break the law do so at their own risk. If caught doing something stupid like being so obviously intoxicated that you can be arrested, there really isn't any basis to complain. Be smart and be responsible. The police should keep doing exactly what they are in IV.

The lowest common denominator here is out of towners. But then again, most of IV's residents are actually that @ the beginning of their tenure in IV.
If you look @ the % of citations & (@ worst case) arrests, it is dominated by 2 groups:
1) Out of town visitors.
2) Freshmen.
The 1st is obvious, they don't know that a police presence is there & that like ANY other part of SB County, IV happens to fall under the same laws.
The 2nd, well, this is 1 for idiocracy. There's PLENTY of info & data presented during freshman orientation & by dorm RA's on what NOT to act like on the streets of IV & the consequences should 1 choose to act the fool. It seems this orientation isn't working.
Sbgradstudent, I will TOTALLY back what you've seen by relating the story of 1 of my neighbors that got his Mac ($3500) stolen out of his apartment during a party amongst "close friends" & such.
The sad reality is that whoever stole it was a friend of the victim's @ most, an acquaintace @ wordt. In either case, he was out of a computer w/ all kinds of personal data on it.
I don't see what is wrong w/ standing 1's ground & not allowing anyone to attempt to walk all over them & if the response to such attempt is heavyhanded, well, that's life. I will guarantee that the next time an individual decides to try to transgress on another individual's rights & property they will think twice, especially if their victim happens to be the same 1 that took them down in the 1st attempt.
But given the idiocratic thought process of some of IV's residents, repeat attempts can't be ruled out :) henry

Why Bill there should never be consequences for my actions...didn't you know that? I think destroying someones hard earned personal property is just a right of passage. Don't you agree?

And Alex thanks for the unbiased community reporting. I've never read anything like it in Santa Barbara, thanks. Daniel Petry

I want to apologize to hank's wife for my last comment. I didn't mean to make hank mad, and I hope your black eye heals up soon.

HAHAHA! I got brown eyes, part of my Latino genetics. That could also explain my intolerance for criminals as well, but theat's subject to interpretation. As for my wife, she forgives you, but is wondering if you're a friend of Whoopi "it wasn't rape-rape" Goldberg :) henry

Oh, & I wasn't mad either, just amused also confused, I still can't make the connection to what you said to what I've done. Oh, I get it, you must think I'm a mysoginistic, violent, woman hating individual because I'm Latino, right? I get it now! Thanks :) henry

Thank you Kratatoa. My black eye will heal eventually.

Hank: Same time this Thursday?...make sure you get the other eye. Thanks.

HAHAHA! I got brown eyes.."

Well Hank, by the end of this week after our session I'll have two black eyes. I was always told discipline builds character.

By the way Kratatoa, do you even wonder what sevendolphins would think about this?

OK, enough! This thread is becoming silly.

Actually, I kind of like this thread.

I especially like the part where hank is going to get bill's brown eye.

That's pink eye to you buddy! HAHAHA! :)henry

If sevendolphins comes out we will have the whole pod here.

The purpose of a citation is to be a rude, awakening, and startling wake up call. I am 20 years clean and sober. How many times have I heard in AA meetings that the best thing that happened was a time out in the drunk tank and standing before the judge for unconscious and unconscionable behavior. Love to see the folks showing up at the meetings putting their court cards in the basket.

This apologist article is blind to the damage not seen in the life styles and other people in the drunk's life that are damaged by the behavior not seen on the streets, such as broken promises, stolen money, and ruined lives. It is just another rerun of, "Geez, if the cops would only leave me alone...." and "poor me, pour me a drink." Here is another one, "You cannot save face and your ass at the same time." We can do without these co-dependent and enabling sentiments.

When I first started going to UCSB I remember one of my friends from high school got held up and robbed at USC and another one at an east coast school.

What does a stolen computer have to do with drunk idiots? Nothing. High crime rate in IV??? Please... you gotta be kiddnig me.. Maybe because so many people keep their doors unlocked, and maybe because they leave their expensive things in their house during break. But again, most of this has nothing to do with the party atmosphere.

Ya, drunk people who do bad things should face consequences, but there is no reason to cite someone merely for being intoxicated when they aren't doing anything to harm anybody else.

I have no problem with Hank kicking drunk people's asses who are damaging or stealing his property. I have no problem with the IV foot patrol arresting people who are damaging property or hurting others.. but that has NOTHING TO DO with what the author is talking about. She is talking about innocent people having their lives ruined just for getting intoxicated. There is nothing wrong with being intoxicated as long as you don't hurt other people or their property. The cops need to have more respect for people and as the author said, choose their battles.

I've lived in IV (sane west end) since 1985 and seen my share of stupid behavior. Many of the kids (and I use that word deliberately, even though many are over 18) do think it is their right to act however they want, because it is I.V. and they've heard the tales. Burning couches in the streets, open keg parties, horny girls there for the taking, raucous band parties all night long -- woo-HOO! Finally, someplace where I can do wahtever the hell I want and it's OK. Leave my trash in the street, pee wherever I happen to be, scream and hoot while staggering through the streets at 2 or 3 AM, vomit on the sidewalk, leave my apartment unlocked putting my roommates' property at risk, groping and harassing females, insult anyone approaching my parent's age, taunt the cops, dump my unwanted furniture in someone else's lot, park my car blocking the sidewalk, invite unlimited numbers of "friends" to party at my place until the neighbors call the cops...

They seem to believe it is a rite of passage to act like an ass*o*e, and there really shouldn't be any consequences because, after all, it is Isla Vista. I favor benign neglect when the behavior is benign, but when it becomes dangerous or really does disturb others, people need to be made answerable. The laws apply to them in I.V. the same as they do to anyone in Goleta or Lompoc or Santa Barbara, and there is no special privilege extended to young adults who are awesome and badass enough to live in or visit Isla Vista.

Bird, I'm 27, lived through 4 years of IV and I have no desire to be 'clean and sober'. IV was the best 4 years of my life. I never got arrested, I never stole anything, but I was wasted almost every night I lived there because that is what college life is like for many. I was lucky, because I had plenty of friends who were arrested for no good reason at all. I had a good GPA then and now I have a Master's Degree. I still like to go out on the weekends and drink once in a while.

Take your tyranny culture out of here, this is absurd. Why the hell are we advocating citing people for doing nothing to hurt other people or damage their property?? This is mass madness.

"In this city of unsupervised youth, the majority of Isla Vista residents party with harmless intentions."

The author's mistake was in referring to the IV residents as "unsupervised youth." Almost all of IV's residents are not youth, they're legally adults. And as adults, it is their responsibility to supervise themselves. If they are doing this, they shouldn't have any problems with the IV foot patrol, which as she admits mainly goes after the most idiotic and obnoxious of the many people who are out drinking. I have trouble seeing how this is biased and unfair -- it's like saying that since you weren't the only one speeding the cop was "discriminating" against you when he pulled you over instead of the other speeders.

It's tiresome to hear people in IV go on about how it should be different for them and about how the laws that apply to everyone else are "discriminatory" when applied to them. And it definitely gets tiring that the rest of us in the county have to fund their parties. $700,000 could go a long way if applied to more productive county services, or it could be used to help SB's schools retain the music and art teachers they had to let go in the last round of budget cuts.

I think the county should levy a tax on IV residents that would pay back the expenses it incurs each year. If they are going to act like "unsupervised youth," they should pay for their own supervision.

Ok, I've thought this over and I see what is going on here. The people who are complaining about those drunks who don't respect others' self and property think that those who are drunk and DO respect others and their property should have their lives ruined........and then the logic train breaks..

Can somebody fix the logic train? Why should somebody who has complete respect for others and their property have their lives ruined in the name of those who do not?

Is this America still, I forgot?

UCCU, there are already plenty of taxes in IV that help pay for the IV Foot Patrol.

The question is, why do you want to arrest innocent people who happen to be intoxicated??

If a party is going on, and the music is blaring, and none of the neighbors care enough to complain, then why the hell does that concern you? If somebody calls in a noise complaint, fine. If somebody is damaging property, fine. Hurting somebody, great, put them under arrest.. But there are thousands of people who drink in IV every weekend and do absolutely zero harm. Maybe they want to listen to music past 12, no reason for cops to come unless it's bothering somebody. Let them be.

Let's be clear here about something: The ONLY people I get into a tangle w/ are those out to damage our home & cars. Anything on the streets is out of my jurisdiciton & it comes down to the IVFP to handle it.
All I have "control" (I hate that word) over is my yard, our apartment & our cars ("our" is in reference to my wife, my neighbors & myself).
I don't care if the guys in back on Pasado are throwing yet another rager on Fri or Sat nite. In fact, they've been THE most noise conscious neighbors the past few yrs. running, as they stop the bands or DJ's @ exactly midnight (the party keeps going though) so no noise violation comes their way.
Even w/ the HUGE parties w/ HUGE crowds they've thrown, there's NEVER been any friction @ all between them, their guests & us, in fact, I like their parties.
It's the tough guy w/ a point to prove by smashing rear view mirrors on parked cars, gets into fights w/ anyone because he can't get laid, starts to wreck someone's mailbox because he feels entitled, that's the jackasses I've had my episodes w/.
The reality to this tough guy is that in more cases than not, he is drunk or impaired by some other substance.
Taxing IV's rsidents is a bit of a stretch, but when Halloween or Floatopia come around you can see the strain on law enforcement & someone does have to pay for it.
Maybe instead of taxing the best thing is to raise the fines up, maybe double or triple them. Like loonpt said:
1) There are already plenty of taxes in IV that help pay for the IV Foot Patrol.
2) Why do you want to arrest innocent people who happen to be intoxicated?
3) No reason for cops to come unless it's bothering somebody.
4) If somebody calls in a noise complaint, fine. If somebody is damaging property, fine. Hurting somebody, great, put them under arrest.
5) Why should somebody who has complete respect for others and their property have their lives ruined in the name of those who do not?
All great points that I thoroughly agree w/. But out of that group/population come problematic idiots & that's who gets popped.
Nothing like a good party, but leave it to some fool to screw it up for anyone & everyone :) henry

The underlying message one takes away from this is how powerfully addictive the drug of alcohol is. How much better life would be if people could discover how to enjoy life without it.

I thought the underlying message here was that hank can kick your ass.

"I thought the underlying message here was that hank can kick your ass." -Kratatoa-

Kratatoa: The underlying message to which I refer is not the postings of any of the bloggers, but the article of the author. To wit: "Together, they regulate rowdy behavior by handing out nightly citations for such offenses as Minor in Possession, Drunk in Public, Furnishing Alcohol to Minors, and Open Container. These are the most common citations." -Alex Markus-

From the above statement by the author, it's clear that most of the problems are driven by alcohol consumption.

Kratatoa, the ONLY ass I'd kick would belong to anyone trying to destroy what little my wife & I have as a function of a 40+ hrs./work wk.
My wife (a preschool teacher of 24+ yrs. & an EXTREMELY peaceful individual) will even tell you that in every case where a "confrontation" occured there was simply no reasoning w/ the perp & a forceful takedown had to be applied tactically.
In the case of the car burglars, they were gang members & 1 was armed. He's also the 1 I caught.
The thing is this: Why should ANYONE live in fear of defending & protecting their belongings, homestead or even their fellow being.
Sure, I've had to "kick some ass" in some cases, but those asses deserved every Newton/erg/dyne of force applied.
This would also include the ass of anyone trying to harass a innocent passerby/civilian (this category includes you) in a violent manner (mugging, assault, etc.).
My dearly departed mom always said to stand your ground, never turn tail & run because in the end right will always overcome over wrong & if right involves a swift kick to the ass, let the kicking begin.
Vandalism, destruction of people's meager belongings, unwarranted assault, they all constitute wrong.
The last thing is cause & effect & this goes back to the lecture I gave the guy who was trying to justify beating up my mailbox (a federal offense by the way) because he turned 21 & felt he was entitled to do that:
Cause: You turned 21/Effect: You got drunk.
Cause: You got drunk/Effect: You decided to become an idiot.
Cause: You became an idiot/Effect: You decided to beat up my mailbox.
Cause: you decided to beat up my mailbox/Effect: I had my mailbox's back.
Cause: I had my mailbox's back/Effect: You got your ass kicked.
End of Boolean reasoning.
In the end it comes down to this: "Do I REALLY want to kick somebody's ass? Not really. But when you're given zero option & that's the ONLY route to take, do as you must :) henry

Great article Alex! Some of these comments are ridiculous, stay on topic. This My son received an MIP on 10/30 in IV. He’ll be 21 in 3 months, we live in San Diego. I know he drinks on occasion; our agreement is if he does have even a drink, not to drive. Like other parents, we will pick him up. His Sister is 23, same agreement. She graduated from SDSU with honers this year & already has a great job. They both never drink & drive, nor have they ever been in trouble/arrested. My Son has a great job with a good company & bright future & he is very responsible. So, let’s take away his license so he can’t work. This will ruin his career, so what... he can become a loser as he’s unable to drive to work, for one mistake. Then what, he starts getting into trouble because he went from making $30/hr to minimum wage for having a beer 3 months before his birthday! I’m sure most people have consumed alcohol under the age of 21... Gee, the Kennedy's use to make moonshine! I agree that he should complete community service as a punishment, but the fine, alcohol classes, loss of license for 1 year & community service for having a beer! If we were all perfect! We use to have keg parties in the 70’s, I was under 18. It didn’t hurt me and I rarely drink today. Let’s keep these comments real… this is real life with real kids that are actually trying to make something out of their lives. They could be doing drugs, pregnant, belonging to the wrong crowd, stealing, or what have you. Remember what it's like to be young & you haven't really experienced life yet?

donnab: I'm assuming then that your kids would not end up like the ones that harass and terrorize hank and his neighbors?

LOL! My Son is very polite, he opens the door for ladies, has helped women in the store reach for things & I dont even have to ask. He is a good kid & I feel very fortunate but sad that we have the fear of his loss of license. To tell you the truth, I new he was going there & would be having some beers & I made him promise to not drink & drive and we discussed the repercussions! I had no idea that he could lose his license for a year for having a beer. This has been very hard on us, he's going to appear in court next week with his dad.

I think a sobering center is a fantastic idea Alex, and would happily get on board with you if you wanted to work towards making it happen!

Jeeze Hank, she didn't say lets throw the police out of IV and let the hooligans run wild. She merely suggested that when somebody is NOT vandalizing anyone's home or causing trouble, but is simply intoxicated, they should be allowed to sober up in a safe place, rather than getting a fine and possibly a criminal record. What's so outrageous about that?
And while you have every right to defend your home, I've got to say you do seem a little unnecessarily and blatantly violent about the way you go about it, which is a bit disconcerting to me. I mean, I get that putting up with drunk college kids must get really annoying over the years... but then why would you choose to settle down in the middle of a college community?

Donnab: I'm so sorry about your son. That's awful! Just another example of how the police here do NOT just punish the trouble makers and vandals, but anyone they can find a reason to. It really is ridiculous. A sobering center would be much more practical, fair, and efficient. Hopefully your son will have a nice judge and get off without getting his license suspended. If not, well, there is very good public transportation in the Santa Barbara/Goleta area, and at least MIP isn't the worst thing you can have on your record.

PS: Hank: Drunk young man beating up your mailbox does NOT equal ZERO option but to kick his ass. Come on, you've got to be more mature than that! The drunk college kid is being an idiot because he's young and he's wasted. What's your excuse? Yes, yes, you have your property to protect, but surely as a sober adult you can see that violence is not you "ONLY route."

I.V. could use a sobering center for sure. The most incredible display and quantity of alcohol for sale in the County of SB is at the Keg N Bottle Shop at 915 Embarcadero del Mar. There is also plenty of alcohol for sale at the IV Market, the Six-Pack Shop, SOS Liquor, International Market and a few other outlets in I.V., which is a tiny little village. A mile away is Costco, where anyone can buy jumbo bottles of vodka and all manner of booze very cheaply and without even having to be a member! In addition to the other liquor outlets in and near the Camino Real Center. There is a lot of money being made by alcohol retailers by selling to the young drinkers (mostly from about age 16 up, but younger ones, too) in I.V. The fact is many young people (many of them students, not all) drink to excess occasionally and move on into responsible adulthood and get over the need to be inebriated. Others bring tragedy on themselves and others either through addiction or drunk driving crashes or violent outbursts while under the influence. Lives have been ruined by an innocent night of getting wasted. Wasted, indeed. So many of those kids drink because they really don't know what else to do to "have fun." And some worthwhile education programs about alcohol abuse are definitely in order. My son got more than one MIP in IV before he turned 18 but has developed interests now (at 18) and is less inclined to wander the streets looking for a "party" to get drunk at.

Hank, where do you live? I want to have a word with your mailbox.

To all Readers and Comment Posters: If you care about Justice, please read the following:

Alex's Story is part of a much larger, HUGE story:
Sheriff Brown has apparently staked his Legacy on building a new jail in North SB County, hopefully to be funded by a new sales tax increase, or otherwise with taxpayer funds.
Why is the Sheriff treating alcohol offenders differently, namely, arresting them rather than taking them to the Sober Station? Because it boosts the jail population, exacerbating the SB County Jail 's already extreme overcrowding problem, for which the Sheriff himself has reportedly been cited for being in contempt of court, but which at the same time gives him justification for appearing periodically before the Board of Supervisors to promote the new jail idea.
Another issue exacerbating the overcrowding are innumerable allegations that arrestees, once they reach the Booking Dept. at the Jail, are denied the right to bail because they can't call out for help. Due to either a faulty, or alegedly manipulated telephone system that allegedly selectively blocks and drops phone numbers/calls, it all too often proves impossible for many arrestees to communicate with the outside, and thus impossible to arrange to bail out.
Per CA Penal Code Section 851.5, it is a crime for any public official to deny an arrestee his or her THREE COMPLETED PHONE CALLS, yet this has allegedly been happening on a massive scale, because many of those who complain about the phones are allegedly ignored by Jail Staff...
And, guess what?
Phone calls from the booking area are free of charge, if you are lucky enough to successfully complete them. But if not, and you are "housed" in the general population, all phone calls from that point on are billed collect to whomever you call- say a bail agent, mom & dad- cost roughly $5 a pop, just to make the connection. Mounting phone charges can quickly put an end to efforts to get out of jail.
OHHHHH, wait, there's more! The Jail and the phone company (Securus/Evercomm, which lavished an $80,000 Signing Bonus upon the Sheriff's Dept. at the time the Sheriff Brown contracted the company to handle its calls a couple years back), split those juicy fees between themselves!
The rallying cry here is, "FOLLOW THE MONEY!", and more than a few people are doing just that.
Feel free to Google "Securus/Florida PUC", it's all out there.
Securus has been sued many times, is now in litigation, and has paid out settlements, yet without ever admitting wrongdoing...
Locally, a Tort Claim was filed against the County as a precursor to a civil lawsuit, which is in the works now...

I have to agree with you donna that if he wasn't drinking and driving--and merely having a beer--that the penalty imposed on him is way too harsh.

Hank lives in cyberspace Kratatoa, along with sevensnugs and the entire aquatic team.

Are we part of the aquatic team?

Yes, as is eightdolphins.

And Kratatoa lives east of Java.

Wow, Sheriff Brown! Shame on you! My Son drives for his job, without his license he can’t drive and they will let him go. If he was drunk or intoxicated, they would have arrested him, he wasn’t. It was Friday night; he actually had the beer in a water bottle in his pocket. He was with a group of friends & for some reason the police officer picked him out of the crowd. He said they had a line of kids on the curb, giving tickets. He said he was very polite to the officer, but the officer was irritated. He saw another officer yelling at one of the other boys who was just sitting there. My Son went to a house party on Saturday night & wasn’t drinking, still upset from the night before; he said the police just walked right into the house. He said he ran because he thought, being there and near a beer, it could be pinned on him... which seems to be another issue. My Son is going to college at night and working fulltime during the day. We live in San Diego where public transportation is a nightmare. Without his license how can he become a better person by sitting at home and playing video games? Fine him, make him complete community service, but dont take away the thing that makes him a functioning citizen. Thank you all for your comments and support!

donnab,

Just a few points about your comment. I am sure you love your kid(s) and want the best for them. It's natural to stand up for them, but before blaming the Sheriff, take a closer look at what you are concerned about.

1) The Sheriff, and all police, do not make the laws. They enforce the laws the legislature creates (or the elected county board of supes). Yes, it is the police's responsibility to enforce them fairly, but they have no more say on creating laws or the associated penalties than anyone else.

2) You don't have to lose your license if you get a beer ticket. Take the alcohol class and you keep it. Or if you can't, go to the DMV and get the restriction for driving to work and school.

3) You say your son is walking around intentionally hiding beer in a water bottle. Obviously he knew it was wrong. So he gets caught knowing he's breaking the law. All this while coming to Isla Vista to party. He's free to make that choice. He made the choice to risk being underage and having alcohol in public. He could have chosen to keep the beer at the party. Or not drink. Lots of choices.

You go on to say he's a hard working student with a job. Getting caught says nothing about him being a good or bad person. Even good kids make bad choices. It's how they handle their decisions that sets them apart.

As a father, I can appreciate the desire to defend my kids when something happens, but I also need to be willing to have them accept responsibility for what they do as well. Pointing the finger at the cops who caught him and blaming them for the laws is misguided and sends the message to your son that he should not be responsible for his decisions. You've made no points that the cops did anything wrong, yet pointed some bad choices by your son. I guess I'm not sure why it's the cops fault.

If you disagree with the laws or punishments, go to the legislature and work on changing them. Stop shooting the messengers.

My point is, the punishment doesnt fit the crime. If youre driving & drinking, fine. Yes, he was doing something wrong, as previously stated... I'm sure most people drink before the age of 21. But, why take his license away when he wasnt driving... fine him, make him go to classes, community service.
"If a law enforcement officer sees a minor holding an object that contains alcohol or drinking they can cite that individual for being a "minor in possession".
"A guilty plea to a misdemeanor means you’ll have a criminal record. If you plead guilty the judge must suspend your driver’s license for one year".

Islay:"but then why would you choose to settle down in the middle of a college community?"
Islay, last time I checked, I have the RIGHT, not privilege, to live anywhere I choose to as long as I pay my rent or mortgage & taxes, which I do.
Last time I checked, NOBODY has the right to vandalize anyone's property or belongings.
The right to live somewhere is much different than the will to vandalize.
What's next? You're going to say that Blacks, Mexicans or Asians should only live in their respective enclaves?
See, that's the reasoning that many of the idiots who cause trouble use: "Dude, this is IV! Deal w/ it!" Well, I do deal w/ it.
Oh, & yes, zero option was presented when the perps committing the acts lunged @ me to start a fight. You call it "unneccessarily blatant" I call it self defense, that's my "excuse" (which you ask for). Hey, a bottle to the head is nothing to take lightly, 1 of these idiots actually tried that technique. It didn't work.
I assume from your screen name you live near Islay in SB, nice area, I hope it treats you well, just like IV does me.
I also hope you chose to live there, just like I chose IV.
The incidents I mention are not every weekend, just every now & then.
Also, if the drunk is just passing by, we gots no problems, in fact I'll even help them get to where they're going safely, done that MANY times.
It's those who choose to vandalize then try & physically attack me or my wife & neighbors.
Donnab, sorry to hear about your kid's dilemma. I'm sure he got caught up in the circumstances of the matter & if he wasn't causing problems, that's something that should be considered. But the law is the law, that's the downside.
Kratatoa, you can talk to my mailbox anytime, just keep that 3' safety bubble & don't get violent if said mailbox should disagree w/ your point. HAHAHA! :) henry

Donnab,

In Santa Barbara, you have the opportunity to complete the alcohol awareness class to prevent the loss of the license. Also anywhere in California you can request the provision to drive to school and/or work during the suspension.

My point was with your first response towards the sheriff. Again, blaming the police for the penalties is like blaming Chysler beacuse you ran over a skunk. It may stink, but it's still you driving the car.

Whether I agree or not about the harshness of the penalty, it's the pointing the finger at the police for getting caught just because you don't like the penalty I don't like.

Regardless, best of luck to your son.

Shame on the Sheruff was due to the article above: Sheriff Brown has apparently staked his Legacy on building a new jail in North SB County, hopefully to be funded by a new sales tax increase, or otherwise with taxpayer funds.
Why is the Sheriff treating alcohol offenders differently, namely, arresting them rather than taking them to the Sober Station? Because it boosts the jail population, exacerbating the SB County Jail 's already extreme overcrowding problem, for which the Sheriff himself has reportedly been cited for being in contempt of court, but which at the same time gives him justification for appearing periodically before the Board of Supervisors to promote the new jail idea.

Donnab,

The concerns about a north county jail are largely irrelevant to the issue of IV Foot Patrol and arresting drunks. A person arrested for being drunk stays overnight in a general holding cell. They do not go into the overall population and have no affect on the issue of overcrowding.

I'm still not clear where your complaint is. Your kid got a ticket and will have to pay a fine and get some alcohol education to keep his license. All a result of his own choices. He knowingly broke the law and got caught. Too bad, but pay the fine and move on.

I think that the issue behind the North County Jail is due to the fact that a large portion or majority of the SB County Jail population happens to be mostly from the North County. This has always been the issue.
As for blaming the police because of a choice somebody made, can't go w/ that.
I like GotQuestions Chrysler/driver/skunk analogy. Maybe (& a BIG MAYBE, no implications intended) a big part of the problem is enablement through coddling. It's kind of like a neighbor I had a year ago & his legal dilemma:
His friend & him, on the way back from "visiting" a friend got pulled over by the police due to a broken tail light.
When the officer approached the car he smelled pot, when said officer looked in the backseat there was a scale & baggies.
The driver & passenger were asked to step out of the vehicle, were searched & @ this point the officer found 3 Vicodins in the passenger's pocket, no perscription.
Bottom line, they got busted w/ dealing & possession.
The guy w/ the Vicodind went to drug court, got a probationary status.
Well, 2 wks. later he was arrested again for public intoxication while running into parked cars on Del Playa. Urine tests showed the presence of 1,9-d-THC in his system.
Facing a possible jail sentence for probie violation, his parents sprung into action & got a doctor friend of theirs to issue their son a medicinal marijuana card to make the usage seem legal.
That is coddling @ it's worst & even worse was the fact thyat this guy could never accept resaponsibility for his actions. True story :) henry

You're the bomb, Henry... keep up all the good things you do, although you've not written for the Indy or Nexus lately. All that commuting to Carp? Or is it Camarillo now?

Kratatoa and all her/his sock puppets are worthy of neglect... just another internet crank playing with a deck of 20 cards or so.

Amen to that 7-D. Kratatoa seems to have a little issue with anger management.

7D, no more commutting to Carp anymore since 2005, got a cool job in a cool company w/ all cool folks, 3.8 miles from the homestead. Thanks for the well wishes :) henry

I think it is terrible that people use multiple screen names.

Agreed. I wish we could all be as principled as sevendolphins, and only have 2 or 3 other screen names.

I have one screen name.