It’s no secret the Hollister Police Department has been having
trouble committing extra law enforcement officers to assist at the
Hollister Independence Rally.
It’s no secret the Hollister Police Department has been having trouble committing extra law enforcement officers to assist at the Hollister Independence Rally.
It is a secret how few officers there may be compared to years past.
Police Chief Jeff Miller refused to disclose the number of officers already committed and those still undecided to enforcing the weekend’s festivities.
“It’s for security reasons and safety concerns,” Miller said. “There’s value in the bad guys not knowing what we’re deploying.”
In a boost for the rally – which was on the verge of cancellation when the city told organizers it would not provide police to the event for free – the Watsonville Police Department is planning to send 12 officers each day, Watsonville Police Capt. Manny Solano said.
“We’re looking at a contract between us and the city of Hollister,” Solano said. “We just need confirmation to come down from our city attorney and there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Brining in officers who know the area will be a definite asset, said Bob Beals, executive director of the Hollister Independence Rally Committee (HIRC).
“I love to have locals,” Beals said. “People from the area know the people – it’s great.”
The Department of Justice has also committed to sending 24 officers from the state, which will be formally confirmed when Attorney General Bill Lockyer signs a confirmation letter soon, said Halye Jordan, spokesperson for the state.
Negotiations are still being discussed as to who will pick up the officers’ overtime pay, Jordan said.
Foresight and coordination are key elements any organization has to implement during an event as large as the rally, said John Calzada, Chief Deputy of Enforcement Operations at the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department.
While no department truly believes it has enough staffing for an event such as the rally, Calzada is confident city and county law enforcement officials are adequately preparing for it.
“There’s been years when (Hollister) hasn’t had a whole lot of police and it’s gone off very well,” Calzada said. “There’s always an element of chance, but you cross your fingers that all goes according to plan when the rubber hits the road.”
Calzada doesn’t think the possibility of fewer officers will draw outlaw biker gangs or a seedier crowd, he said.
“I don’t think the outlaw gang types believe that just because there are a few less officers immediately available that they can go in and do whatever they want without being confronted,” he said. “They’re not that stupid.”
Events within Monterey County over the holiday weekend keep the police and sheriff’s departments plenty busy, but if anything happened in Hollister they would send mutual aid, Calzada said.
“If something were to occur we’d rally the troops as much as possible and send them over to support,” he said.
Many of the people who flock to the event travel through and stay in Gilroy.
The Gilroy Police Department concentrate their efforts on the secondary effects of the rally on their community, said Assistant Gilroy Police Chief Lanny Brown.
“We have plenty of staffing for the event,” Brown said. “We keep our resources here because all Gilroy becomes is an extension of the Hollister event.”
A fear that fewer cops could cause riots between bikers is totally unwarranted, Beals said.
The average age for bikers attending the event is 45, they make a decent living and they aren’t coming here to tear the town apart, he said.
“You call it a motorcycle rally and ‘Oh my God, we gotta bring in sharp shooters,'” he said. “The problem is perception on their part.”
Beals acknowledged the city needs additional support and said he appreciates it, but it all needs to be done in a firm and fair fashion.
“I’m sure Miller will do it appropriately,” Beals said. “This is his first time doing it, and I support him. Our goal is to make it work.”
As the weekend comes closer, Miller is waiting on confirmations on several different agencies, but feels optimistic about staffing for the event, he said.
But when will he feel confident?
“July 5,” he said.
