Fellow Officers Back Chief Miller’s Rally Efforts
Fellow Officers Back Chief Miller’s Rally Efforts
Editor,
It was obvious from the beginning that no one knew just how many “Bikers” would come to Hollister after the HIRC contract was cancelled by the city council. Many of the local business owners stated we should expect 20,000 upset bikers in town. Upset over being told that they could not have “their” rally. Even our own mayor has continuously voiced his own opinion on this matter. He has criticized the decision to cancel the rally and he has encouraged the droves of bikers to come to Hollister regardless of the cancelled event. Our mayor has even stated that we would need 500 police officers to control the mass of bikers that would invade Hollister.
Chief Jeff Miller was tasked with planning an event where no one knew how many people would arrive in Hollister and what their agenda would be. Would they be here for a ride and a T-shirt or would they be here to prove some sort of point and cause havoc? Chief Miller had plans in effect for every possible contingency.
Once again the fine officers from Modesto, Kinsburg, Ceres, Department of Justice, Alcohol Beverage Control, California Highway Patrol and State Patrol arrived to assist us. They conducted themselves with great professionalism, character and sound judgment.
Nevertheless, many of the people we contacted during the event had the same questions and made the same misinformed comments about the non-event. Many were angry with Chief Miller for canceling the event. None of them knew that the event was actually cancelled because HIRC still owes the city over $250,000. None of the visitors that arrived knew that the city is facing possible bankruptcy when the reserves run out in a few years. None of them could provide a logical answer as to why the city should bankroll a huge party for people from out of town.
Many of the citizens criticized the amount of officers at the rally. They did not realize that there were fewer officers downtown than previous years. These same people would have been the first to criticize the chief for not having enough officers if the crowds had arrived Friday instead of Saturday and caused some kind of disruption. There were actually less than 85 officers downtown, nowhere near the 500 that our mayor thought we needed. We heard people complaining about the cost of paying for the police presence, and again they were misinformed. Because this was not a planned event sanctioned by the city, the outside state assistance was part of a mutual-aid agreement, therefore the state agencies and officers were not billed to the city.
We believe that the majority of the citizens cannot imagine the strategic planning and complicated logistics that went onto keeping the citizens of Hollister safe over the weekend. Chief Miller and Captain Brooks have worked tirelessly for months meeting with the heads of the Department of Justice, Alcoholic Beverage Control and all of the surrounding agencies to be prepared for anything.
The Hollister Police Officer Association would like to acknowledge the professionalism in which Police Chief Jeff Miller planned and executed the event for the Fourth of July weekend in Hollister. We continue to support Chief Miller as we have in the past. The Hollister police officers and the citizens of Hollister are very fortunate to have a chief that is not only knowledgeable, effective and competent but also is at a level of professionalism that this city has not seen in the past. We are truly fortunate to have him as our chief of police.
Ray Wood
President
Hollister Police Officers Assn.
City Got It All Wrong
Editor,
To what extent are we going to use gang related activities regarding a death of a person? Is it because of financial gain for police Chief Jeff Miller and our police department from the state or federal government? The D.A.R.E. program was eliminated from the schools because the city has no money. High school officer, also no money. The so- called Bike Rally should have been named Policemen Rally, which was overrated by Police Chief Miller. The police action was totally discriminatory. I counted 48 Highway Patrol cars coming into Hollister, besides Monterey County Sheriff’s Posse, plus our local police. At what price are we going to pay to save our children from gang activities? The city has it all wrong to eliminate safety of our city but bring in tremendous amounts of law enforcement on July 4 against the bikers. Remember only you, the citizens of Hollister, can bring changes. The next child killed or anybody for lack of programs could be your child. Think about it.
Henry Sumaya,
Hollister
By the Way, Where Will That Hwy. 156 Money Come From?
Editor,
I’m curious, where do the opponents of the 156 widening think we’re going to get $1 billion (with a “b”) dollars to fund this 3-in-1 project? The public has been informed endlessly that the money for such a project is not available. Why are Brad Pike and Anthony Bothelo encouraging people to look to an option that’s not on the table? I haven’t read a single word from Caltrans that says the 3-in-1 proposal is being considered, but instead have read numerous accounts of a lack of funding for such an overwhelming project.
The state is having budget difficulties, and while the outlook is better than it was when the 3-in-1 proposal was first introduced, I don’t think Sacramento is sweating over our small population base and its road problems. We have to take projects on that don’t immediately throw up a red flag for the decision makers by having a huge price tag associated with them. Small steps are best, and I’m sorry if that means that The Mission City has a few more trucks rumbling by (not through) your town. From the outcries, you’d think that the traffic was headed right down Main Street San Juan. Ask for an overpass with an offramp for your city if you don’t want travelers in your town, but don’t make the rest of us who travel the ever-increasing headache (especially on Friday afternoons) that is 156 suffer because you don’t want to increase the traffic by (not into) your town. There is no money to consider the 3-in-1 proposal so move on to the next logical step; build what you can afford.
Thomas Clark,
via e-mail
