Keep Bailing

Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore. To be sure, little pink princesses, Bob the Builders, and pint-sized goblins will be out ringing doorbells, but many adults get into the Halloween spirit too. More than 85% of 18-24 year olds celebrate Halloween and sometimes get too “spirited” for their own good. For many, that thing going “bump in the night” isn’t anything supernatural. It’s the sound of a jail cell door slamming shut.

Tampa, Florida police recently arrested a 21-year-old man for wearing a Batman costume, citing a “state law that forbids wearing a mask on a public right of way, a statute written in the 1950s apparently aimed at the hooded Ku Klux Klan.” He posted bond of $500 and left the jail, vowing to work on his “real” Halloween costume: a zombie Batman, because, after all, Batman likes to dress up on Halloween too!

A Canton, Ohio man got a little carried away with his desire for realistic decorations and burned what appeared to be a cross on his front lawn. He said he just “wanted to make his annual yard display more authentic and set fire to the T-shaped wooden stand that holds up his scarecrow so it would look more weathered.” He still had to pay a fine and perform 75 hours of community service.

Police generally handle individual cases like these with no problem, but situations deteriorate quickly when you mix a large group of young adults with alcohol. In 2005, police in Madison, Wisconsin arrested 455 people at a Halloween street party. Police spokesman, Lt. Pat Malloy, said that most arrests were alcohol-related – including underage drinking.

A fun street party populated by young adults and beer can quickly become a dangerous situation. The combustible mixture of alcohol and costumes decreases inhibitions and increases the likelihood of fights, vandalism, assaults, and injuries. In the Madison, WI incident, police reported that “the local detoxification center was filled to capacity and some people had to be taken to emergency rooms“.

A recent American Greetings press release explains adults’ interest in Halloween this way:

“We have found that Halloween has really become a communal event among adults,” said Jessica Lann, Halloween product manager at American Greetings. “Whether decorating their home or office, sending a card or going out with a group of friends, people love the offbeat nature of the holiday, and the opportunities it gives them to connect in a fun way.”

So what should you do if you get arrested after Halloween revelries get out of hand? There are two main points to keep in mind:

• Always identify yourself to police. Sure, you may be dressed as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Mickey Mouse, but if you give that as your identity, it’ll be very hard for the bail bondsman to locate you in the jail system. Unless you’re really the infamous Osama bin Laden (instead of impersonating him), you should always give your full, correct name when arrested. It’s very hard to get bailed out if nobody can find you.
• If your son or daughter calls and has been arrested, remember that getting arrested is likely lesson enough. The California jail system isn’t anything like Mayberry! There’s no wise Sheriff Taylor to gently put prisoners back on the high road, and certainly no gentle Otis sharing the cell. Of course, parents are tempted by the thought that a night in jail “teaches a good lesson,” but in a dangerous, overcrowded jail, that’s a hard lesson for anyone to learn. Generally, experiencing the arrest and booking process is enough to put any college student back on the straight and narrow path.

News stories aside, we haven’t noticed a dramatic increase in bail bond calls on Halloween here in Southern California. However, we do seem to receive more calls on holiday weekends, possibly because people are reluctant to spend a 3-day weekend in jail! And this year, Halloween falls on a Friday night, which may mean a busy weekend for us.

The experience of being arrested, booked, and jailed is certainly scary, and it’s not the best way to celebrate what most people view as a lighthearted, frivolous holiday. Be sure to have a safety talk with your college students or teenagers before they head out to party the night away. Nobody leaves the house planning to spend a long, scary night in jail, but that’s often the result of a Halloween evening that gets out of hand. If it’s not jail, they could end up at the hospital – which can be an even more tragic, life-changing experience.

Be careful. Be safe, and have a fun Halloween!

Photocredit: FreeFoto.com