Want To Serve Juice To Teens? Call Cops First

Clubs like Toad’s may soon have to notify police before hosting events for minors.

The Board of Aldermen Tuesday night officially received a proposed ordinance amendment that would place new requirements on bars and restaurants planning to host ​“juice bar” events. The ordinance, which was submitted by Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts, would cover businesses that hold events where nonalcoholic drinks are served to minors. That includes clubs, like Toad’s Place (pictured: Chris Mejias, Toad’s security assistant manager), where teens come to see live music.

Under the proposed ordinance, club owners would have to inform the police whenever they’ll be hosting minors. The police department could then require a club to hire an extra duty officer for the night. Should a club owner fail to notify the police about an underage event, he or she would face a $250 fine.

The proposed legislation is headed for committee review ahead of a final vote by the Board of Aldermen. Read the draft here.

The amendment is related to another piece of proposed legislation, said Smuts. It’s a companion to the bill — currently in front of the finance committee — that would require parades and entertainment events to pay for police overtime they cause to happen. Both bills are municipal versions of legislation that is already enshrined in state law. The local versions give the city the power to underline the state law and to impose fines, Smuts said. 

The ​“juice bar” ordinance is also related to an effort by Alderwoman Jackie James-Evans to do away with underage events at all downtown clubs. But what James-Evans seeks to abolish, the proposed ordinance would simply regulate. 

Regulation, rather than complete banning is a easier legislative route, Smuts said. Since state law backs up the ordinance, ​“we don’t have a legal challenge to worry about,” he said.

The ordinance ​“speaks to some of the issues behind Alderwoman James’ proposal,” Smuts said. When police know in advance about teen events, they can allocate their resources appropriately, to prevent problems.

There have been several recent crime incidents following underage club nights. Smuts mentioned the Christmas Eve all-ages party on Crown Street that led to fights and raucous behavior in the streets. Smuts also mentioned the break-in at the Devil’s Gear bike shop after a teen night at R Bar in November.

Smuts said the legislation is ​“not intended as punitive.” It’s simply a way to foster advance notice and communication between clubs and police, and it gives the city ​“a lot of leverage” to require bars to cooperate with the city, he said.

Smuts named several clubs that would likely be affected by the new ordinance, including bars on Crown Street and Toad’s Place. Toad’s would almost always be affected, since the club often has all-ages events, Smuts said.

Brian Phelps, owner of Toad’s Place, said he’d take the new ordinance over James-Evan’s total ban. ​“The other way, I’d be out of business,” he said.

He was somewhat cautious about the potential impact of the new bill. ​“It may or may not be a hardship,” he said. ​“It could be a financial burden if unnecessary officers are needed on certain nights.” That is, if the police department requires Toad’s to hire a lot more officers when they’re not really needed, it’ll get expensive. Phelps said he pays extra duty cops $221 each for a four-hour shift. But, he added, a police officer is worth 100 security guys.

Phelps said that during the days of the hold-down system, when he always had the same extra-duty cop in charge of security, his hold-down officer always knew what was coming up that month.

Phelps said his club has less problems with teen behavior than others, because he only allows teens when there is live music. The performers give the crowd a point of focus, and when the music’s over, they leave, Phelps said.