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MPD links alcohol to crime downtown
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by Darryl Schnell
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
The City of Madison Police Department presented evidence that they believe links downtown liquor license saturation to incidents of crime and violence at a Policy Alternatives Community Education (PACE) Project meeting Tuesday.
Nicole DeMotto, data analyst for the MPD, said she analyzed crime data and citations starting in 2003, and research shows a strong enough correlation between the density of liquor licenses in the central district and of crime and violence in the area. Because of the high density of both these factors, DeMotto concluded that reducing the number of liquor licenses downtown would ultimately decrease the number of violent occurrences.
"The density of [liquor] licenses is greatest on State Street, so you can imagine where incidents of crime and violence are the greatest," DeMotto said.
DeMotto said Madison's Central District — including the University of Wisconsin campus and downtown area — is the smallest of Madison's five districts, yet police assigned to the district receive the greatest number of calls for service. The majority of those calls are for incidents in sector 403, which includes State Street and most of UW's southeastern campus area.
DeMotto said although city ordinance requires the saturation to be no greater than one license for every 50 people, the State Street area is by far the densest area in the city in terms of licenses. In sector 403, the density of liquor licenses is one for every 110 people, according to police.
This high density leads to chaos and problems, she added.
"Violence and disorder are clustered in the same locations as where there are a cluster of liquor licenses," DeMotto said. "We also see the incidents cluster at bar time."
Central District Capt. Mary Schauf said reported incidents spike between midnight and 3 a.m. and are particularly high at bar time.
"What you have is a huge population on State Street at bar time because there are taverns and late-night fast food restaurants there," Schauf said. "There are students coming from house parties to find food or go home. There are students leaving bars to find food or go home. What you have is a massive congregation of people on the street, which increases the likelihood for a disturbance."
But Marsh Shapiro, owner of the Nitty Gritty and member of the Alcohol License Review Committee, made it clear the hoard of humanity at bar time should not be blamed entirely on the taverns.
"People at apartments and house parties like to be downtown to be there for the last hurrah at bar time," Shapiro said in response. "So they go to State Street at bar time to continue their night."
With the crowds often gathering around bar time on the weekends, the incidents of battery in sector 403 often involve victims and/or assailants who are intoxicated. Research shows that in 77 percent of the battery incidents, the victim was intoxicated and in 73 percent, the assailant was intoxicated."
"What's interesting about the research is that it shows a general pattern that (emerges) in these battery incidents." DeMotto said. "We find, generally, the suspects are just intoxicated enough to have bad judgment."
DeMotto added that 20 percent — the largest subgroup — of victims of those involved in drunken revelry are too incapacitated to defend themselves.
