Local

Redlands weighs midnight alcohol cutoff for neighborhood bars

Police say late-night calls are straining resources, while bar owners warn that ending service two hours early could threaten downtown businesses.

Image credit: Amerique / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; archival 2009 Redlands City Hall photograph

Redlands is considering whether to stop neighborhood bars from serving alcohol after midnight, two hours earlier than California law generally allows, NBC Los Angeles reported September 25. Police raised the proposal during a recent City Council meeting, citing more than 1,000 calls for service and an increase in robberies, assaults, shootings and other late-night incidents over the past three years.

What it means locally

Police officials said calls tied to the midnight-to-2 a.m. period can absorb much of the department’s available staffing. Downtown bar owners countered that the late-night window is economically important and argued that street behavior should not automatically be attributed to their businesses. City officials said the proposal remains under review because of those concerns and has not been scheduled for a vote.

Full report and further details: Read original report →