Skip to main content

Campaign Reminds Revelers to Party Safely on New Year’s Eve 2016/17

David Perry

Media Contact: DP&A, Inc. / David Perry cell: (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

“Zero Tolerance for Public Drinking”

Campaign Reminds Revelers to Party Safely on New Year’s Eve 2016/17

San Francisco Police Stresses “Safe, Sane & Sober” Behavior on Saturday, December 31

23 December 2016 – San Francisco, CA: As in years past, thousands of revelers are expected to ring in the New Year throughout San Francisco on Saturday, December 31, 2016 and into the wee hours of Sunday, January 1, 2017. As was the case last year, San Francisco City officials are reminding partiers to keep it safe, sane and sober on City streets.

“For the last few years, we have instituted a policy aimed at taking individuals who were drinking in public or drunk in public off the streets. This year, we will continue to remove offending individuals from the streets,” said San Francisco Interim Police Chief Toney Chaplin. “We want everyone to have a good time, but we want to remind people of a simple fact: drinking in public is illegal. It only takes one drunk driver or one out of control individual to spoil the festivities for dozens of people.”

Chief Chaplin also stressed that there will be zero tolerance for open containers of alcohol.

While there is no official City sponsored celebration or street closures for New Year’s Eve, there is an annual fireworks display over San Francisco Bay for which many people line the sidewalks along the Embarcadero to observe at midnight.

“It’s a wonderful, celebratory evening but one in which people sometimes take their partying to the streets,” says Chief Chaplin, noting that over the years, New Year’s Eve has sometimes become an excuse for nuisance and even violent behavior. Just in case, Chaplin makes clear: the SFPD, including its alcohol control officers, will be out in force to ensure public safety. “This year – as in years past – we just want to remind people to keep it safe, sane and sober in San Francisco this New Year’s Eve. Spending the night in the SFPD drunk tank – or worse – is no way to celebrate.”