Police Chief Malcolm McMillin submitted an ordinance proposal to the Jackson City Council this week that would restrict alcohol retailers from doing business after 2 a.m. The ordinance specifically makes it unlawful for any owner, proprietor or an employee of any establishment with a liquor license to dispense light wine or beer—whether sold or given away—after 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday. The ordinance also restricts businesses from allowing patrons to bring their own alcohol onto the premises after 2 a.m.
The city currently prohibits alcohol sales in the city after 2 a.m., but ordinances don't stop patrons from bringing alcohol in from other sources. McMillin said the real teeth in the ordinance is the clause restricting patrons from bringing their own booze.
"What we're looking for, in essence, is this: Not only shall you not allow the sale, but you won't permit any to be brought in and consumed upon your premises. … There won't be any going to the tote store next door and buying a case of beer and bringing it back into that establishment and having them ice it down in a bucket for you and charge you to bring that beer into their establishment," McMillin said.
The chief said the recent spate of murders in the city demanded new thinking regarding the city's hooch codes.
"I think we had six murders since the first of the year—correct me if I'm wrong. Five of those have been on club property, so we have not been as diligent as we needed to have been in the past to insure that these clubs operate within the law," McMillin said, adding that police and the city should also be more active in making sure drinking establishments have clearly marked exits and that they don't exceed fire code requirements regarding the number of patrons allowed inside."
Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes asked if McMillin would consider excluding established nightclubs from the 2 a.m. crackdown.
"There's got to be some kind of exception for the places that have been open 20 or 30 years … as opposed to those who have a history of police calls (and trouble)," Stokes said.
McMillin recommended the council apply the law equally to all establishments for the sake of simplicity, but added that it was not his job to legislate.
"There are exceptions within that proposed ordinance that would allow discretion regarding resort areas … like the Farish Street (Entertainment District). … You'll have a business owner who has been around 20 or 40 years and she'll have to close her business (after a certain time) while you'll have these resort areas that can go 24 hours a day, and you'll have to justify that to her. That's why y'all get paid the big bucks," McMillin said.
Council President Leslie McLemore assigned the proposed ordinance to the Rules Committee for further discussion.
Other cities, like Vicksburg and Oxford, already have established ordinances restricting the operating times of bars and nightclubs. Oxford, in particular, restricts all liquor sales on Sunday and limits liquor sales before midnight Monday through Wednesday and on Saturdays, and restrict sales after 1 a.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.
Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth said his city's alcohol ordinance had predated his term, and that he could not gauge its impact on local businesses, but he did voice concerns that the ordinance dumped a mass of staggering drunks onto the streets.
"The only problem I've ever had with it is it flushes everyone out on the street all over the city at the same time … The bars are running people out at midnight, so you have all these people out on the street, who then get into their cars—some of them behind the wheel when they shouldn't be. The mathematics of the situation creates something of a public-safety hazard," Howorth said.
Five years ago the Oxford mayor's office considered restricting drinking until midnight, while allowing the bars to stay open later, allowing patrons a little more time to either sober up or find reliable transportation.
"The idea never gathered momentum, because anytime you try to change an alcohol law you're stirring things up," Howorth said.
Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill said he supported the ordinance, but might consider tweaking it to allow a sober-up period between liquor sales and closing time, similar to what Oxford was considering.
McLemore also assigned to the Rules Committee a recommendation for an interlocal agreement between the city and the county to eliminate a duplication of services in SWAT, child protection, and the Narcotics and Gun Interdiction Units. Both the city and the county feature those units, so the council is mulling the possibility of saving taxpayers' money by doing away with mirror units.
"We clearly need to look at ways to eliminate some of the duplications that would clearly save Hinds County some tax money," McLemore said.
Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler was eager to begin talks on the agreement and questioned delaying it by placing it in a committee, though McLemore said the issue was complex and needed thorough venting in a committee.
Several council members, including McLemore, publicly fretted that hiring McMillin—who is also sheriff of Hinds County—to do double duty as the city police chief would lead to some consolidation of city and local government.
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