The Alcohol License Review Committee discussed how to confront binge-drinking and over-serving of alcohol in Madison at its meeting Wednesday.

The ALRC said it is stressing the need for committee members to work together with students to create a safe environment in Madison with alternatives to drinking.

Ald. Tim Bruer, District 13, said the ALRC will encourage liquor licensees to hold more alcohol-free events and open up options for under-aged students.

“This is a good-faith effort,” Bruer said. “Our purpose is not to be prohibitionists.”
Police Chief Emil Quast said the police force is very reasonable when it comes to law enforcement and drinking.

“Our biggest problem with bars is the management, not the kids,” he said.
Quast said the police force does not spend time checking for under-aged drinkers and only confronts serious safety concerns.
“We don’t have a zero-tolerance policy, but we will go after the bars if they are not doing a reasonable responsible job,” he said.

Police officers do not concentrate on checking for fake IDs but will not look the other way when they see obviously young people in a bar and will hold bars accountable for blatantly under-aged people in bars, Quast said.

“The bouncers may argue that the ID was really good, but how hard is it for someone to ask for a second form of ID?” he said.

Quast said there are serious public-safety issues when bars admit hundreds of people over their limit, and police officers are reasonable when issuing citations for over-capacity.

“We don’t have officers count the number of people over the capacity, but if people are shoulder-to-shoulder and it takes three minutes to get to the entrance, there is a problem,” Quast said.
The ALRC also discussed the need to redefine the term “nightclub.” Ald. Kent Palmer, District 14, said this term should include restaurants which have music, dancing and alcohol after 10 p.m.

“This is an issue because restaurants now have a nightclub with people under 21 staying into the night, in direct conflict with existing statues,” Palmer said.
Issues pertaining to nightclubs, over-serving and over-capacity are addressed in the ALRC-subcommittee’s

Alcohol Issues Report, which contains proposals to combat binge-drinking and over-serving.
Also included in the subcommittee’s report is the proposal to increase education for bartenders and consumers about the effects of alcohol consumption to discourage dangerous intoxication levels.

“We want individuals to help monitor themselves,” Palmer said. “They hold responsibility as consumers as well as the licensees.”

Subcommittee member Tom Garver said the subcommittee will look at the first draft of the proposal, including the proposal to regulate drink specials, later this week to make the draft’s language more specific.

“My hope is that the report will be very clear in its recommendations,” Garver said. “Right now I don’t see any specific changes.”

Palmer said the subcommittee has held two public hearings with a total of 110 in attendance and is responsive to student input.

“I hope to conclude our work while students are still in session,” Palmer said.