Texas drunks get a break

AP/Houston Chronicle:

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said Wednesday it has suspended a crackdown on public intoxication after a public outcry over the program that sends undercover officers into drinking establishments.

Spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said the agency first announced its decision Tuesday in a letter to State Rep. Kino Flores, chairman of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.

...

Under the program, undercover officers have visited bars to ticket or arrest bar patrons who are deemed exceedingly drunk.

More than 2,200 bar patrons or workers have been arrested or issued citations since August. The purpose is to stop the sale of alcoholic beverages to people who are drunk and, as a result, cut down on the number of drunken drivers.

Public intoxication is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.

But media reports about the program after a sting last month in the Dallas suburb of Irving prompted criticism that the arrests could prove bad for business if they drive away conventions and other tourists.

...

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