As the 5 de Mayo celebrations come to a close, many events were peaceful and most community members and visitors rightfully enjoyed the cultural celebration that has been a tradition in San José for decades, reported the San Jose Police Department ?SJPD, for its acronym in English?.
"We are proud to accept and understand the importance of this celebration for residents and visitors, and we plan accordingly to ensure that everyone can enjoy it safely," the authorities detailed in a statement.
He specified that, as in previous years, the Department took preventive measures to ensure that the community could celebrate safely. In doing so, SJPD also employed zero tolerance for criminal behavior.
During the weekend of May 5-7, SJPD oversaw the Cinco de Mayo festivities, while responding to regular calls for service. During the course of normal operations, patrol units observed various misdemeanors, felonies, reckless driving incidents, sideline activities and other quality-of-life offenses that required enforcement measures to keep the peace, they said.
As they proactively patrolled from May 5-7, SJPD statistics included:
- Total service calls: 2,642
- Total arrests: 115
- Total vehicle seizures: 30
- Total citations issued: 407
- Total reports received: 352
- Total firearms seized: 6
The SJPD noted that, historically, the dispatch center has received numerous requests from residents and business owners concerned about gatherings and unauthorized activities that would occur when people arrived in San José from out of town over the Cinco de Mayo weekend. May.
In recent years, he said, the Police Department has taken a reactive approach to traffic jams, violent crime and vandalism by responding to calls for service and taking enforcement action where appropriate.
Such an approach, he said, resulted in large numbers of arrests and citations, and did little to alleviate the concerns of residents and business owners.
In that sense, he explained that approximately twenty years ago, they studied the crowd control measures that other cities used during large-scale events of all kinds, to later develop a proactive approach to reduce traffic jams and crime that was based on diversions of strategic traffic as a key component.
“In the years since this strategy was used, we have seen a reduction in violent crime and traffic jams. San José residents can more easily move around and celebrate traditional Cinco de Mayo events, which is the primary focus of our efforts. In no way is our response to Cinco de Mayo intended or designed to inhibit anyone's ability to celebrate the holiday."
However, due to continuing staff shortages at the Department, he specified that operational plans also included taking advantage of the use of road closures and other traffic diversions to limit further traffic congestion and avoid delays in response times to address any criminal activity.
“Similar closures and diversions have been used during other major events that draw large crowds across the city. The purpose is to ensure that traffic continues to flow and that community members can safely hold these events."
The Police Department noted that it has been employing this proactive approach to Cinco de Mayo traffic and crowd control for nearly twenty years, and while the deployment of these measures is not new, "the Department recognizes the need to communicate these closures before".
"Going forward, we will endeavor to announce any planned responses to large-scale events well in advance to ensure that the community and our elected officials have adequate notice to prepare accordingly."
"The San Jose Police Department welcomes and embraces the cultural celebrations in San Jose. We strive to keep these events safe for our entire community to participate and enjoy."
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