Beware of these 9 crimes that spike on New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate. We experience mixed emotions stemming from hopes, resolutions, accomplishments and regrets. Unfortunately, many people also experience crime on this special night.
Crime rates typically increase on holidays, and New Year’s Eve is no exception. Large gatherings and alcohol tend to attract crime. Every year, many people are arrested on December 31st and January 1st in the U.S. for a variety of crimes, not just drunk driving and public intoxication.
The majority of the offenses are misdemeanors, but whether they are misdemeanors or felonies, even a minor charge can derail academic and professional careers and ruin lives.
Following is a list of the top nine crimes that record increases on the New Year’s Eve holiday.
1. Drunk Driving
Not surprisingly, driving under the influence (DUI), or driving while impaired or intoxicated, is the most common type of crime that occurs on New Year’s Eve. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day rank near the top for the most alcohol-related accidents and fatalities. Anticipating an increase of DUIs during the holidays, law enforcement agencies boost the number of patrols on roads to pull over drunk drivers, setting up checkpoints on busy roads. If you’re going to drink on New Year’s Eve, set a designated driver or use Uber, Lyft or a taxi to get home.
2. Public Intoxication
Public intoxication is another crime that commonly goes up on New Year’s Eve. While it sometimes leads to nothing more than a ticket or citation, public intoxication can get you arrested and spending the first day of the year in jail. If you’re partying in public, be careful about how much you drink. You risk a citation or arrest if a police officer determines that you’re acting like a nuisance or posing a threat to yourself or others.
3. Disorderly Conduct
Disorderly conduct occurs when a person causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm, engages in fighting or some other threatening or violent behavior, makes unreasonable noise, or uses obscene language or gestures. It’s usually a misdemeanor, but it can land the person in county jail or state prison. Stay away from people acting disorderly, and go home before you engage in disorderly conduct yourself.
4. Property Damage
Property damage is quite common on New Year’s Eve, and it can turn a festive occasion into an insurance nightmare. It usually happens when someone drinks too much and ends up damaging someone else’s property, accidentally or intentionally. Depending on the circumstances and the value of the property damaged, you can get arrested for this conduct.
5. Assault and Battery
Heavy alcohol consumption on New Year’s Eve often leads to a higher number of assaults and batteries than on most nights of the year. These crimes can happen anywhere—bars, private parties, nightclubs, college campuses, etc.—and frequently lead to arrests. A person also can be arrested for making threats of physical violence to another individual.
6. Drug-Related Offenses
Some people choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve with illegal drugs. Therefore, police officers are on the lookout for people under the influence of illicit drugs or in possession of contraband. Arrests are likely in these cases, and given the serious consequences—arrests, bail, lawyers, job loss, damaged relationships, etc.—it’s just not worth it.
7. Trespassing
As with so many other crimes committed on New Year’s Eve, drinking usually is involved in trespassing cases. Alcohol results in confusion and loss of inhibition, which can lead a person to make the poor choice of trespassing on another person’s property.
8. Discharging / Possession of a Firearm
Not every bang you hear on New Year’s Eve is a firework or firecracker. Depending on where you live, you will likely hear gunfire throughout the night, especially at midnight. Celebratory gunfire is illegal in the U.S. because stray bullets can cause injuries and fatalities. You can get arrested for carrying a concealed gun without a permit, possessing a firearm while impaired and firing a gun in public. Scan the crowd for guns while you’re out partying, and leave yours at home.
9. Auto Theft
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are busy days for car thieves. Thousands of cars are stolen every year on December 31st and January 1st, when more people than usual go out to celebrate. Many forget to lock their cars or to park in well-lit areas, so there are plenty of choices for thieves. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s 2019 Hot Wheels Report, the top 10 most stolen vehicles in the U.S. are the following:
- Honda Civic
- Honda Accord
- Ford full-size pickups
- Chevrolet full-size pickups
- Toyota Camry
- Nissan Altima
- Toyota Corolla
- Dodge full-size pickup
- GMC full-size pickup
- Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
It’s New Year’s Eve, and you want to have fun. One way to guarantee you won’t have any fun is to get arrested or be the victim of a crime. Don’t go out alone. You and your companions should keep each other in check and watch each other’s backs. Enjoy the festivities, but play it safe.