Texas arresting people in bars for being drunk

[MSgt213]

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - 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.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11965237/

[Ian David]

1. Some were arrested in a HOTEL Bar just downstairs from their ROOMS! n/t

[Warpy]

6. That's completely out of line

Hey, I don't drink and I hate being around drunks, so I avoid bars, but isn't that kind of the point of being in a bar? Unless a patron is loud, obnoxious and belligerent, I can't see arresting him. If he's got a room, send him up to it and let him drink the honor bar dry.

Sheesh.

[Capn Sunshine]

12. The way booze law works:

You're not allowed to serve a visibly drunk patron.

I always thought Texas was kind of lax in the enforcement aspect when I was there; one scary thing is they don't require police officers to remove their uniforms before going out on personal time, and the number of way buzzed cops I encountered was creepy.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. That oughta be good for bizness....

[redphish]

3. I guess bush and his daughters can't come home now.

:evilgrin:

[Brothaman2k]

4. How can you be "publicly" intoxicated

If you're in a PRIVATE establishment? This makes no sense...lol

I could see them waiting down the street for people to pull out of the parking lot who are obviously intoxicated, that would be somewhat reasonable, but inside the bar? That's where you're supposed to get drunk!

:toast:

[MSgt213]

8. If you have an accident on private property will the police write a ticket

I got backed into in the driveway of my son's daycare center, which happen to be a private home and the officer who showed up said he couldn't even take a report because it was private property. This was in New Orleans though.

[Alleycat]

5. Next step prohibition!

[bush_is_wacko]

7. Funny thing is this law is still on the books in most states.

They just don't enforce it.

Seems to me that the Republicans must be paying people to research obscure laws and bring them to the forefront again in order to revert back to the good ol' days they so desperately want us to return to.

I still can't figure out why they think they were the good ol' days but then again I'm sort of a live and let live kinda person. Don't bug me and I won't bug you.

I swear every single Republican in a position of power was a former bully!

[redphish]

9. Nah, more like the kid that got picked on every day...

and is now getting revenge.

[RoyGBiv]

10. It's enforced irregularly ...

That is, it's one of those laws that can be used for a specific purpose, like when a local municipality wants a bar to close, so they start raiding it every weekended and arrested anyone who is even mildly intoxicated. It usually doesn't take more than a month or so for that bar owner to sell out.

This happens a lot in small towns.

[lildreamer316]

11. What the hell?

Jesus CHrist on a gd trailer hitch.
What the f ever.
I don't think I can take much more of this crap.

[0007]

13. By what standard does Texas sez your drunk?