Texas arresting people in bars for being drunk

[ECH1969]

Texas has begun sending undercover agents into bars to arrest drinkers for being drunk, a spokeswoman for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said on Wednesday.

The first sting operation was conducted recently in a Dallas suburb where agents infiltrated 36 bars and arrested 30 people for public intoxication, said the commission's Carolyn Beck.

Being in a bar does not exempt one from the state laws against public drunkenness, Beck said.

The goal, she said, was to detain drunks before they leave a bar and go do something dangerous like drive a car. She said the sting operations would continue throughout the state.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060322/us_nm/bars_dc

[Faygo Kid]

1. Barbara, Jenna: Run like hell.

Oh, I forgot. You won't be arrested, of course. Sorry.

[Realityhack]

83. ROTFLMFAO eom

[TroubleMan]

2. Give me a fucking break!

They also go into saunas and arrest people for being sweaty.

[TankLV]

30. and NUDE!

fucking perverts!

[anotherdrew]

35. it's insane. BUT - this will really really spur PRIVATE CLUB membership

just wait and see...


some nice private beer halls

[Media_Lies_Daily]

56. They were called "speakeasies" during prohibition.

[Big_Mike]

70. In the dry counties like Bell Co.

all the clubs are "Private Clubs" and it doesn't even slow them down.

BTDT. Worked as a bouncer. Had many patrons hauled out for P.I.

[Rex]

3. Then I guess we should just ban all alcohol

that way the undercover cops can be out doing more important things. No drunks = no need for cops.

[DIKB]

9. Vice cops.

A waste of taxpayers money, and assault on liberties. I'm all for increasing public transportation similar to Japan's that way drunk driving is even less of an issue, not sending people to jail.

[Rex]

16. I'm sorry, but that would never work.

Your idea is far to rational and grounded in common sense! :evilgrin:

[Art_from_Ark]

85. They even have special taxi services in some Japanese cities

to take drunks back home

[Coes]

46. And how do they measure "drunk"?

"There are a lot of dangerous and stupid things people do when they're intoxicated, other than get behind the wheel of a car," Beck said. "People walk out into traffic and get run over, people jump off of balconies trying to reach a swimming pool and miss."

So how do they measure "drunk"?

Ever seen the World Championships Darts? The contenders used to drink beer while playing for the Cup ( now forbidden I believe ). So the cops can bust the place, and arrest one of the world's best players on the spot, who in his 'drunken' state is attempting to become the World Champion?

[area51]

59. Welcome to DU, Coes. (n/t)

[bunkerbuster1]

48. Hey, how about a constitutional amendment?

You think that'd go over well?

(I still am dumbfounded when I consider that the USA actually did that. It still seems like science fiction...)

[saigon68]

71. EXCELLENT IDEA

Ooops didn't they try that once?

[karlrschneider]

4. Why would they need 'undercover' agents?

:eyes:

[Cronus Protagonist]

39. So they can have a couple of drinks while they work, of course!

Do I get a toaster?

[DIKB]

5. Even the hypocritical

bible-bangers who push prohibition laws drink, they just pretend they don't recognize each other at the bars/stores when buying alcohol. Start arresting them, and they're gonna start angering the base. I know a LOT of people who will be pissed about this.

[tammywammy]

6. What I think is really rediculious

is that they arrested people at a hotel bar, and they were staying at that hotel.

Wouldn't it be more prudent to watch the people leave and once they turn the ignition you can cite them for DUI.

[juajen]

24. You certainly have a good point!

I agree.

BTW, spell check does a great job of distinguishing between "ridiculous" and "rediculious". Sorry for being a pest; just hate misspelled words.

[Chrisduhfur]

51. Oh stop being rediculious

;)

[TomInTib]

7. I was arrested in a bar for buying a drink for someone deemed

to be "intoxicated" by some slug at TABC.

I wasn't even drinking.

[Trillo]

8. Private establishments are now public property?

Except when Bush is giving a speech, or GLBT protestors step off a bus at a private school.

It seems there's now two levels of 'private property'.

[bluestateguy]

10. Big government

I'm for small government.

[sui generis]

11. well there IS a legal limit for driving

but there isn't an established legal limit for drinking and standing other than subjective behavior. It's a scare tactic and a stunt - a two year old could get most of them out of it if they plead not guilty.

Yeah, fuck TABC. They really love to fuck with people for no other reason than because they think they can.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. Boy oh boyee...

There are gonna be some pissed-off Texas Repuke Drunks.

I wanna see if they start going into some of the "gentleman's clubs".

[DemoTex]

17. Platinum Club on Harry Hines Blvd.?

What a whore strip! Know what I mean Vern?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

28. Actually no, Tex.

Every time I was in Dallas, on tour, and had a night off, I was always in my hotel room. Reading the Gideon's Bible and drinking herbal tea. All of us roadies did that. We just started those stories about being drinkin', druggin', screwin' barbarians to give the rock writers some filler.

Pure as the driven snow we were. Worked in soup kitchens on our days off.

Really. No, really. Would I make something like this up?

[DemoTex]

84. TS, you must be an airline pilot, too!

Airline pilots swear on that Gideon Bible often. "Honey, I swear on the Bible that I'm not with the junior flight attendant. Besides, she has a bad cold. No, no! That cough was on TV. It's a special on bird flu."

[rppper]

44. harry hines blvd="hooker highway"

not that i ever paid one, but they used to come up to your car at stoplights and put their....well...thingies in the windows......HH blvd was always a fun drive....

[Skittles]

89. poor Harry Hines

a Highway Commisioner who helped get roads paved in the area just so hookers could walk them LOL

[MessiahRp]

13. This is insane...

But I have to wonder... EXACTLY how many times are people missing the pools, jumping off balconies down there?

Rp

[NYC Liberal]

14. In days past, this would be an article in The fucking ONION!

Now the real news is even more out there than the satire.

[Chrisduhfur]

52. haha yeah I was thinking the same thing.

Hmmm, I had to check it further to make sure it wasn't a joke.

[xxqqqzme]

15. this pre-emptive crap is being taken

to extremes.

[ConcernedCanuk]

20. "chastity belts returning to pre-empt unwanted pregnancies"

.
.
.

sponsored by your own Homeland Security/Morals Department

"Home of the Brave and Land of the Free"

OOPS

gonna hafta rephrase that "free" part

:freak:

[suffragette]

40. Saw some actual chastity belts in Rothenburg, Germany

in an unusual little museum.
If I recall correctly, they had a card next to these which described their use and noted that this is when locksmiths began to become popular. I imagine something similar will happen here when people begin to "chafe" and rebel against equally silly edicts.

[Johnyawl]

18. GOOD! IT'S ABOUT TIME!!

Lets make it impossible to smoke or drink! Once mainstream society wakes up to the puritanical crap being forced down our throats, and boots these people and their laws to the curb, then - maybe THEN - we can have a rational discussion of this country's drug policies!

[0007]

45. Are fast food restaurants next on junior's list

[rpannier]

19. That's gotta be one of the most assanine things I have heard in a while

It ranks right up there with banning smoking in tobacco shops.

[Big_Mike]

21. This is a Texas standard

When I was stationed at Ft. Hood, the cops in the surrounding communities would stop cabs and arrest riders for being drunk (public intoxication/PI) more often than not.

Don't drink and try to walk home. PI is in your future.

Had a friend drinking beer in his front yard. Cop drove by, asked him to come out to the car, and arrested him for PI, since he was no longer on his property.

Anything to gather money for their small assed little towns.

[LiviaOlivia]

22. State and Local sanctioned extortion

plain and simple

[BiggJawn]

42. That's the reason: "Revenue Enhancement"

Dumbya cuts tax revenues so the Fed doesn't distribute as much to the States, so they have to come up with "inovative" ways to raise revenue.

Here in Indiana they fuck home-owners with bigger property taxes and do seat belt "Enforcement Zones"...

[omulcol]

73. Forgive me ... but I have to ask ...

Are these cop's real honest to goodness AMERICAN patriots - or WHAT !

In UK the bartender must determine whether or not the customer has already consumed too much alcohol before serving them ... be interesting to watch British cops arresting the entire nation's bar staff on a Friday night !

:toast:

[BrightKnight]

23. Texas Taliban strikes again: "Agents infiltrated 36 bars" - n/t

[Murdock]

25. ...

As long as there are public intoxication laws on the books, the police are just doing their jobs. Getting police to ignore their duty is neither likely nor desirable. If you don't like the public intoxication laws you should lobby to change them, not complain about their being enforced.

[annabanana]

43. So arresting people for drinking in bars is a GOOD use

of the constabulary...

[TX-RAT]

49. Thanks, at least someone figured it out.

[Robb]

53. Beat me to it

Damn those cops, trying to enforce the law.

Unpopular opinion you have there... don't you know it's easier to slam the cops than try to effect change on a worthwhile level? :D

I suppose DUers would prefer to see police pick and choose which laws they intend to enforce. :popcorn:

[Chrisduhfur]

58. It's called common sense though.

Much like it's illegal to go over the speed limit the cops do not pull you over for going 5 miles over(typically)... However if you go overboard then they apply the law. It should be the same here. If someone is out running around naked while being drunk and harassing people then you apply the law. If someone is minding their own business in a bar(not driving) then you don't apply the law to them.

[nolabels]

68. Since when have laws been enforced because of common sense?

Ground ZERO for people holding contempt for written law is in the D.C. The reflection one might see in the contradiction is equal to hypocrisy one might feel in ones life.
Now, if you will excuse me I am going to contemplate that thought :hi:

[BrightKnight]

76. used the same way for generations & too vague for this absurd application

The law has always been used to remove obnoxious drunks from sidewalks and public events.

The law has been applied in roughly the same way for generations.
What they are doing is very radical.

---------------------------
The public intoxication law is too vague and not designed for this application. A new bar regulation bill would be needed for this.

Are they going to arrest a wedding party because some of the guests had too much to drink?

Will certain establishments be targeted for political reasons? Will they harass people that visit topless or gay bars? Will progressive Drink Liberally groups be targeted?

Will this be abused to raise revenue like speeding tickets have been?

Are they going to harass individuals? Will they pick off young individuals and leave older groups alone?

Will St Patrick’s Day and Texas OU Weekend be canceled?

How many is too many?
Do we really want to give people criminal records for this?

-------------
I do not have a problem preventing drunk driving but this is not the way to do it. You can not arrest someone because you think that they might commit a crime.

Require bars to have a breathalyzer by the door. Mandate strong DWI warning signs by the exit. There are many reasonable things that might be done. Arresting people for drinking in a bar is absurd.

[Chrisduhfur]

57. There are many weird laws on the books.

You often times see laws that restrict some of the most strange things... Are you saying that the police should enforce those too? Also, doesn't applying such laws require common sense? Arresting someone who is drunk & harassing people on the streets is a good use of public intoxication laws, arresting people in a bar is not good use of public intoxication laws.

[Megahurtz]

74. Uh Oh....

A Teetotaler perhaps?:sarcasm:

[kurtyboy]

26. Crap! Where were these fellas 35 years ago?

They coulda had an easy pair of busts every drill weekend at the TANG base--Bush & Bath & beyond, y'know....

[MadMaddie]

27. Wouldn't it be smarter to wait outside to watch the drunks

stumble into their cars and then arrest them.....

Texas is big on the drinking ....this is not going to go over well!!

[SLCPUNK]

29. What about people......

Who take cabs home?

I don't drink anymore, but when I did, I took cabs everywhere. I'd stagger out of bars and go home safely in a cab!

If you can't get drunk in a bar, where the hell are you supposed to get drunk? At home with the blinds closed and lights off?

[MadMaddie]

66. I should have been more clear....I meant to their own personal

cars...People that catch cabs are being responsible...:hi:

[drhilarius]

31. Everything's big inTexas...

including an obtrusive government.

[WinkyDink]

32. What if they were passengers? "Public" means

"in a public sphere". Surely TEXAS appreciates PRIVATE enterprise??

[pdurod1]

33. BAN: Urban Cowboy

[ButterflyBlood]

34. I'd love to see the cops try that here!

They'd be tied up for a long long time.

[anotherdrew]

36. they could just open a bar in the jail, have a good happy hour special

then later... more profitable inmates to put to work at sweat-shop wages.

[anotherdrew]

37. IF this spreads... I am getting the hell out of the country

very ugly sign if you ask me, and totally open to selective enforcement, abuse, even - shhhsh - bribery. :sarcasm:

which bars do the cops drink at?

[htuttle]

81. Don't worry, you can just come to Wisconsin

I can absolutely, positively guarantee that could never happen here.

[rainbow4321]

38. Even if they are in their hotel's bar they will get arrested

According to the local Dallas news that had a segment about it. Doesn't matter that they don't have to leave the building to get to back to their hotel room.

[Niccolo_Macchiavelli]

41. oh man

Arrested in bars and cabs for PI...

i feel pity for you. this is insane...

[mtnester]

47. What's next? Coming into my backyard BBQ and arresting folks

for being drunk because the neighbors can see them drinking?

Breaking into my hotel room to catch me and the hubby involved in a little risque sex involving some sex toys?

Jerking me from my car because I am alone and SMOKING? Or better yet, from the only other place I do smoke - my backyard or garage?

Yeah, that is what's next...and don't say never..cause you know with this wacky climate, never is a dangerous word to rely upon.

[Bassic]

50. This is so god-damned stupid....

My god, what is it with the fucking puritans? :banghead:

[Chrisduhfur]

54. Couple flaws here....

A) They will end up arresting a people who have intentions on driving drunk(people with designated drivers, people who plan on getting cabs or whatever else)

B) This is will just force people to either get drunk in private clubs or to meet at peoples houses. Then when they have to go home they will end up driving drunk and maybe killing someone. However since they are not drinking at normal 'drinking hubs'/bars they are scattered all around so you can't put police in the parking lots looking for drunken drivers...

C) They are totally overstepping their bounds.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

55. Are they going to arrest off-duty cops in so-called "cop bars"?

[BrightKnight]

77. Some establishments might be harassed. - n/t

[MilesColtrane]

60. You can be sure there won't be many undercovers

at the local country clubs...just the neighborhood bars in which folks like us hang.

Bukowski is rolling in his grave, if only to present his buttcheeks, skywards to be kissed.

[TX-RAT]

61. Country Clubs are private property.

[BlueInPhilly]

62. Are the Bush progenies included?

No, not just Jenna and Barbara - what about that little punk John Ellis Bush?

[MilesColtrane]

64. how convenient

[Megahurtz]

75. Yep. All the Big-Oil-Wigs will be safe.

Extortion of the "Little Guy":eyes:

What a Fucking Joke.

Don't those Bible-Belters have any criminals to catch?

[WinkyDink]

72. Fancy restaurants aren't.

[SaveElmer]

63. They tried this here in Fairfax, VA a few years ago...

Went over like a lead balloon!!!

Massive criticism for the complete waste of money!

[baby_mouse]

65. What?

Blink.

what?

Could you repeat this entire thread please? This ISN'T a hoax thread?

[superconnected]

67. I was wondering who would be after the smokers.

Who's after the alcholoics?

oh, and I can't help wondering, when they will start arresting gays.

each toothpick they pull out is meant to topple our complete individual rights system.

I suspect we'll be seeing legislation to make "gay" against the law soon.

[sarcasmo]

82. Spoiler alert. V for Vendetta already uses your thought process.

[Shakespeare]

69. Not unlike the "canned" hunts in Texas.

Just another form of shooting fish in a barrel.

[rainbow4321]

78. So are they going to risk their tourism??

What happens during special events when local bars get packed with people..like TX-OU weekend, or Austin's 6th Street? Bet you they suddenly find a loophole or relax their bar raids. And what about convention time/business travelers who are spending time in the bars? Nice message to send to people visiting TX..NOT!! I hope someone tracks what cities/areas that they are targeting (rich areas vs poorer parts of town, etc, minorities/whites).

[against all enemies]

79. How bout arresting the whores in the Texas State legislature?

From what I've seen it's filled with them.

[BrightKnight]

80. Legislating from the squad car -- n/t

[rainbow4321]

86. Business traveler lost his job after bar arrest

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/032406dntexbardrinkers.10b9f8a.html

All Burton Byers wanted was a burger and a beer – or six – at his Irving hotel. In return, he traded his seat at the bar for a spot in jail – and unemployment.

Mr. Byers and others are still fuming two weeks after being accused of public intoxication by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, part of stepped-up enforcement efforts statewide in establishments that serve liquor. The campaign, which also involves local police, brought agents to Irving on the weekend of March 10-12.

<snip>

Mr. Byers, 41, said he was relaxing at the Circle Spur Saloon at the Clarion Hotel where he was staying, near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, when officers approached him. Apparently, undercover alcohol commission agents had identified him as drunk, either by his behavior or by the number of beers he said he had consumed – key indicators of intoxication, according to the agency. Mr. Byers said he had no more than six beers.

Mr. Byers, a resident of Rogers, Ark., who is the director of maintenance for an aircraft charter company, was taken outside, handcuffed and sent to the Irving jail, where he posted $360 bond and was released. He had traveled to Dallas to help repair a plane and lost his job afterward, in part because of the arrest, he said.

[BrightKnight]

87. The only alcohol available in Irving is in a bar.

You would be required by law to drink it in the bar. There is no law that says how many you can drink in a bar. I doubt that even Irving could pass that law.

Are they going to enforce open container laws in bars? Will waiters be required to serve wine from a paper sack?

[rainbow4321]

88. TX lawmakers backing down-saying TABC "focus" in question

So much for TABC saying that they had full TX state lawmaker support from Austin...raids will go "under review" to see if it is the best way to use "resources"

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/032506dntexdrunkfolo.627e69d.html

Public intoxication busts of bar patrons by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission elicited a blast of indignant – even vicious – e-mails and calls from citizens Friday – to the agency, to journalists, and to elected officials who pledged to look into the arrests.

"I'm getting all those same e-mails, the Nazi, Taliban, Gestapo e-mails," said commission spokeswoman Carolyn Beck. "I don't really understand the hateful outrage. I don't understand, 'Die in a fire.' "

Somebody hanging around the hotel, a little stumbling on the way to their room? I don't think that was what we were focusing on," said Rep. Peggy Hamric, R-Houston, who authored the proposed rewrite of the statute authorizing the agency.

Rep. Kino Flores, chairman of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures, said he plans to call a meeting next month to examine the alcohol commission's work.