4/20 Weekend's 243 Citations Almost Double Last Year's Total, 21 People Jailed

Earlier this week, we noted that the Denver Police Department issued approximately 160 citations at 4/20 weekend events despite tweetin' that "we see you rollin' but we ain't hatin'." Now, the final figures are in for Saturday, April 18, Sunday, April 19 and Monday, April 20. According to the DPD, 243...

By Michael Roberts

April 22, 2015

Audio By Carbonatix

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Earlier this week, we noted that the Denver Police Department issued approximately 160 citations at 4/20 weekend events despite tweetin' that "we see you rollin' but we ain't hatin'."

Now, the final figures are in for Saturday, April 18, Sunday, April 19 and Monday, April 20.

According to the DPD, 243 citations were dispensed during the three-day period.

In addition, 21 people wound up in jail for their offenses.

This citation total is nearly double the sum racked up in 2014. The number of people jailed is one higher than last year.

Some things to keep in mind when doing year-to-year comparisons.

First of all, the 2014 numbers correspond to two days, not three. Last year, enforcement actions took place on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20.

Yet the data from the two Saturdays and the two Sundays shows more citations in 2015 than during 2014.

As we noted, the DPD tweeted that approximately sixty people were cited on Saturday, April 18, 2015, and 100 on Sunday, April 19, 2015

In contrast, 32 people were cited on Saturday, April 19, 2014, and 98 on Sunday, April 20, 2014

Moreover, the Denver police actually conducted undercover raids at two pot clubs this year. The venues — the POTUS Club, at 1395 Alameda Avenue, and Grassroots Colorado, at 2209 Larimer Street — are a considerable distance from Civic Center Park, ground zero for the main 4/20 celebration.

During both years, a number of non-marijuana-related citations and jailings are included in the totals. This year, for instance, 196 of the 243 citations are said to have been marijuana-related. In 2014, 92 out of the 130 citations handed out were marijuana-related. In both cases, the majority of citations likely had to do with public consumption.

Another interesting fact has to do with a larger number of people from out of state who received citations or wound up behind bars — or at least they had out-of-state licenses.

This year, 46 people appear to have come to Denver from elsewhere. In 2014, twenty of 130 had out-of-state IDs — less than half this year's total.

We're guessing these visitors would be unlikely to agree that the Denver cops "ain't hatin'."
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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