BuffettNews.com

This is too much

Officials Make Public Intoxication Arrests Inside Bars

POSTED: 4:04 pm CST March 15, 2006
UPDATED: 9:44 am CST March 17, 2006

Email This Story | Print This Story

IRVING, Texas -- The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has taken its fight against drunken driving to a new level. TABC agents, along with Irving police, targeted 36 bars and clubs Friday, arresting some allegedly intoxicated patrons before they departed the businesses.

The officers and agents also kept watch on bartenders who might have over-served patrons.

Agents arrested 30 people Friday night. Most of the suspects now face charges of public intoxication.

The agents and Irving police officers traveled from bar to bar and worked undercover, according to an NBC 5 report.


The report also said that some agents shared tables with suspected drunken patrons. Some patrons were subjected to field sobriety tests inside bars.

Agents and officers said the operation represented an effort to reduce drunken driving.

Sgt. Chris Hamilton, of the TABC, said some inebriated bar patrons "end up killing themselves or someone else" after departing the businesses.


http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8034788/detail.html

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8169246/detail.html

Agents and officers said the operation represented an effort to reduce drunken driving.

one would think that to do that, the patron would have to have demonstrated an effort to drive. A good defense attorney is going to love that quote

RinglingRingling wrote:

Agents and officers said the operation represented an effort to reduce drunken driving.

one would think that to do that, the patron would have to have demonstrated an effort to drive. A good defense attorney is going to love that quote

And the only thing that would demonstrate the effort to drive would be keys in hand while entering the car.....

RinglingRingling wrote:

Agents and officers said the operation represented an effort to reduce drunken driving.

one would think that to do that, the patron would have to have demonstrated an effort to drive. A good defense attorney is going to love that quote

My thoughts exactly. I could see if they were outside getting them as they got into the driver side of a car, but inside? Kinda dumb.

I used to live in Irving. The cops there were notorious for their bad attitudes and low handed tactics.

I'm sure lawyers all over the DFW area are clammoring at this one. The bars in Irving are also "private" establishments. You have to have a membership of some sort to drink there. So the officiers are in a private establishment, giving field sobriety tests and arresting people IN PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENTS. All on the assumption that they are going to drive home. Irving does have taxis.

RinglingRingling wrote:

Agents and officers said the operation represented an effort to reduce drunken driving.

one would think that to do that, the patron would have to have demonstrated an effort to drive. A good defense attorney is going to love that quote

in a lot of places, just being in possession of your car keys counts as intent to drive.....

I think this is a bit much.... stake out the lot, arrest them when they get in their cars, fine. But inside? Who's to say they weren't going to call a cab?

It gets better....

At one location, for example, agents and police arrested patrons of a hotel bar. Some of the suspects said they were registered at the hotel and had no intention of driving. Arresting authorities said the patrons were a danger to themselves and others.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8169246/detail.html

weirdo0521 wrote:It gets better....

At one location, for example, agents and police arrested patrons of a hotel bar. Some of the suspects said they were registered at the hotel and had no intention of driving. Arresting authorities said the patrons were a danger to themselves and others.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8169246/detail.html

Now that's just plain stupidity.

weirdo0521 wrote:It gets better....

At one location, for example, agents and police arrested patrons of a hotel bar. Some of the suspects said they were registered at the hotel and had no intention of driving. Arresting authorities said the patrons were a danger to themselves and others.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8169246/detail.html

This is SO gonna get ugly!

I ran a saloon in Normal, IL (shutup) 6 years after the town ended being dry. It was still a nazi police state at the time. We were in a lower level with a stairway to the front and back parking lots. On many, many nights, the "SS" would card my patrons as they left and also do field sobriety tests to those that headed for cars.

The good news is, being in a basement with no windows, all we had to do was lock the doors and keep the younsters in until the danger passed

I'm doing a series in the newspaper right now on this very same issue.

Nice bar outside of town. Very clean. Upscale.

Got hit OPENING WEEK-END and again on NEW YEARS EVE.

In the first raid, TABC went to other bars. One person, who was there for karaoke night with her kids . . . she said the patrons in that bar hit their knees, thinking they had been invaded by terrorists! Said the agents' behavior was deplorable.

All the staff at the guy's bar were TABC-Certified . . . meaning the owner should have had a safe harbor and fines waived.

Second time, the TABC agents threw the owner on the ground, kicking him so hard they broke ribs.

Owner is a former LA inner city cop. His brother in law is former police chief of Dallas. Can't get much straighter an arrow than owner.

TABC has launched an internal affairs investigation.

Language in the Probable Cause Statement says:

Based on my experience and training I felt the above listed defendant was intoxicated to the point that it would be dangerous to himself or other persons to release him to aother person or there was no another person willing to be responsible for the defendant.

EVERYONE arrested on NYE had a designated driver who was willing to be responsible. NONE of the DD's had been drinking. None.

weirdo0521 wrote:It gets better....

At one location, for example, agents and police arrested patrons of a hotel bar. Some of the suspects said they were registered at the hotel and had no intention of driving. Arresting authorities said the patrons were a danger to themselves and others.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8169246/detail.html

what the F is that crap!

East Texas Parrothead wrote:Second time, the TABC agents threw the owner on the ground, kicking him so hard they broke ribs.

Man, that boils my blood.

I bet they dont dare pull that crap at the stadium but roughin up the local & private establishments is fair game.

I guess we better watch where we drink when we come to Dallas in April!

NorthernConch wrote:I bet they dont dare pull that crap at the stadium but roughin up the local & private establishments is fair game.

After the first incident, the owner installed 5 security cameras.

TABC agents seized all the tapes on NYE.

Funny. The tapes are now blank. Curious.

East Texas Parrothead wrote:

NorthernConch wrote:I bet they dont dare pull that crap at the stadium but roughin up the local & private establishments is fair game.

After the first incident, the owner installed 5 security cameras.

TABC agents seized all the tapes on NYE.

Funny. The tapes are now blank. Curious.

Sounds like he needs two or three more. HIDDEN security cameras.

ladyparrothead wrote:I guess we better watch where we drink when we come to Dallas in April!

uh-huh.

East Texas Parrothead wrote:

NorthernConch wrote:I bet they dont dare pull that crap at the stadium but roughin up the local & private establishments is fair game.

After the first incident, the owner installed 5 security cameras.

TABC agents seized all the tapes on NYE.

Funny. The tapes are now blank. Curious.

very interesting... sounds like a Federal investigation on the violation of Civil Rights is in order..

This story just gets curiouser and curiouser as time goes on.

I've been working on it, off and on, since mid-summer. The bust on NYE just blew everyone out of the water.