How many citations were issued during St. Fratty’s Day? SLO police release numbers

Kaytlyn Leslie
·3 min read

The San Luis Obispo Police Department and state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control issued more than 160 citations — including open containers, being drunk in public and climbing utility poles — during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations last weekend.

According to a department news release Tuesday, the city’s safety enhancement zone — a period of heightened fines meant to curb partying — began at the start of the month, though “the majority of illegal activity and enforcement action took place on the third weekend.”

Police and the ABC issued a total of 99 citations for open containers over the holiday weekend and 24 citations for minors in possession of alcohol, according to the release.

Police also issued 18 citations for noise, nine for public urination, five for being drunk in public, five for unruly gatherings, four for climbing utility poles and three for DUIs, according to the release.

Cal Poly students turned out early Saturday morning, March 16, 2024, for St. Fratty’s Day festivities on Hathway Avenue near the university. A San Luis Obispo Police Department officer at the scene estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 people in attendance. John Lynch/jlynch@thetribunenews.com
Cal Poly students turned out early Saturday morning, March 16, 2024, for St. Fratty’s Day festivities on Hathway Avenue near the university. A San Luis Obispo Police Department officer at the scene estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 people in attendance. John Lynch/jlynch@thetribunenews.com

The heightened enforcement came during a massive block party in neighborhoods near Cal Poly known as St. Fratty’s Day. On Saturday, police said between 6,000 and 7,000 people gathered in the early morning hours along Hathway Avenue, most in various states of intoxication.

In the interest of public safety, police shut down the surrounding streets during the event.

In its release Tuesday, the department said it also made arrests for misdemeanor drunk in public, minor in possession of alcohol DUI and climbing utility poles, though it did not include how many had been arrested.

Cal Poly students turned out early Saturday morning, March 16, 2024, for St. Fratty’s Day on Hathway Avenue near the university. A San Luis Obispo Police Department officer at the scene of the party estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 people in attendance. John Lynch/jlynch@thetribunenews.com
Cal Poly students turned out early Saturday morning, March 16, 2024, for St. Fratty’s Day on Hathway Avenue near the university. A San Luis Obispo Police Department officer at the scene of the party estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 people in attendance. John Lynch/jlynch@thetribunenews.com

A request for that information was not immediately returned Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, the San Luis Obispo Fire Department responded to 19 calls for service “related to excessive consumption of alcohol,” according to the release. Seven of those calls were on Cal Poly’s campus, according to the release.

The Police Department added there was widespread property damage and vandalism in the neighborhoods around Cal Poly, though only one instance of vandalism has been reported to police so far. Reports of damage in the areas around campus can be reported to SLOPD via its non-emergency line at 805-781-7312.

The department said arrest and citation records have also been provided to Cal Poly’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

A car window was broken during the St. Fratty’s Day festivities on Hathway Avenue near the university on March 16, 2024. A San Luis Obispo Police Department officer at the scene of the party estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 people in attendance. John Lynch/jlynch@thetribunenews.com
A car window was broken during the St. Fratty’s Day festivities on Hathway Avenue near the university on March 16, 2024. A San Luis Obispo Police Department officer at the scene of the party estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 people in attendance. John Lynch/jlynch@thetribunenews.com