Doubled fines enforced this St. Patrick’s weekend

Poster courtesy of San Luis Obispo Police Department

Holly Walsh
Life & Culture Editor

In light of St. Patrick’s Day, the San Luis Obispo Police Department is running the “Selfies Not Mugshots” campaign to encourage people to be careful while drinking this weekend.

The poster which has gone up all over the city, especially bars in downtown SLO, shows a girl dressed in green holding a sign that says, “What happens on St. Patrick’s Day stays on your record.”

The poster highlights that arrests for being drunk in public, DUI’s, unruly gatherings, open containers, and public urination all start at double their original fines.

Porta potties will be installed on Garden, Chorro and Broad Streets to deter people from publicly urinating.

St. Patrick’s Day is also commonly known as “St. Fratty’s Day,” where Cal Poly fraternities have been known to throw riotous parties.

This weekend, along with other events in SLO like Halloween, New Years Eve and Independence Day, laws are strictly enforced and fines are doubled.

The safety enhancement zone ordinance was passed in 2013 to act as a deterrence on rowdy holidays when public health is at risk.

This weekend’s safety enhancement zone will take place starting March 17 at midnight and ending March 18 at 7 a.m.

Efforts to improve relationships between the student community and city residents have paid off since 2017, when the city experienced the lowest number of noise complaints on record, according to a news release.