18 Mar 06 Officials Make Public Intoxication Arrests Inside Bars
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.
I am all being hard on drunk drivers, but this is just insane.
So what is the legal limit for someone sitting in a bar?
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This is crazzzzzy.
How can they do this?? It’s just another infringement of basic human rights.
If they were doing their job properly in the first place and catching drink/drivers on the roads then there would no need for this stupid idea.
They’re arresting Texans, foreigners and folks from out of state, because they think they would be “a danger to themselves and others.” This is just how Nazi Germany started…welcome to the new fascist state.
“TABC officials said the sweep concerned saving lives, not individual rights”
That should be their motto!
I also wonder what the legal limit for sitting on a bar stool in Texas is?
Basically they are encouraging people (esp. heavy drinkers) to drink at home, alone, and let them work themselves up into a good old rage about whatever they’re drinking to forget. Then they go out and jump in the car to go see their ex or to fight with some dude/chick or whatever.
“Going to a bar is not an opportunity to go get drunk,” TABC Capt. David Alexander said. “It’s to have a good time but not to get drunk.”
HAH! Yeah right. Somehow that just doesn’t sound right to me, here in Scotland… Perhaps it’s just a cultural thing but we Scots like a good bucket when we go out to the pub.
Sometimes people go to a bar just for the anonymity and the chance to let off steam by talking to a stranger for hours about their problems. Probably works out about the same price as a shrink but with a much higher success rate as the inebriated will often as not end up arm in arm, singing loudly and out of tune as they meander to the nearest fast food joint. Sure, they might get run over by a car but hell, at least they will be relaxed and thus soften the impact slightly
It is a cultural thing.
I don’t think it’s that common here that people go to the bar to talk to strangers for hours about their problems. People usually go out with their friends, or if they do go looking for strangers it’s more about ‘hooking up’.
I suspect the MADD (mothers against drunk drivers) lobbying group is pretty strong in that area.
I use to date an Irish chick (yeah I know Scotland and Ireland are different) her family had gone over to Ireland for vacation. Her dad was drunk and ran into someone’s house with his car. The owners came out made sure everyone was ok and invited them in to drink some more!
[...] Texas halts arrests of drunks in bars SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - A controversial Texas program to send undercover agents into bars to arrest drunks has been halted after a firestorm of protest from the public. [...]
Interesting - because that is the same thing I found out last Saturday.