Club Owners Voice Concerns At Forum

ROGERS POLICE MEET WITH PROPRIETORS TO DISCUSS RECENT ISSUES

— Club owners in Rogers said Wednesday they feel police are singling out “mom and pop” businesses for special enforcement, and in turn, stifling business.

Owners who sell alcohol in private clubs — Benton County is legally dry — met with members of the newly formed community policing unit of the Rogers Police Department.

“We want to build community partnerships,” said Sgt. Angel Murphy-Pearce. “We want to actually listen to your concerns and address those concerns.”

The meeting was called after uniformed police were forced to show identification before being allowed in The Bayou, in which there was a wanted person. State law requires clubs to allow officers inside.

The incident led to a request from Police Chief Steve Hamilton for the city to revoke the club’s conditional-use permit. The matter is on Tuesday’s Planning Commission agenda.

Club owners watched and listened to a presentation reviewing laws for operating a private club in a dry county, how to identify fake identifications and other alcohol related items, including parking lots and noise levels.

During a discussion, club owners made clear their concerns about operating a private club in Rogers.

“You’re saying ‘Call us when there’s a problem’,” said Mary Franklin co-owner of The Bayou. “But when we do, that’s a black mark against us. We’re taking up too much of your time. We used to encourage officers to come by our club. Now our customers bolt when they see one.”

“There was a time when there wasn’t a gap between the police and the clubs,” said Wendell Franklin, co-owner of The Bayou, who said he used to keep snacks for officers.

P.J. Barnes of Mister B’s Steak- house said she’d heard advertising all summer about drink specials at national franchises in Rogers.

Clubs in Rogers can’t advertise a “happy hour” if they serve alcohol, said Howard Robinson, Alcoholic Beverage Control agent for Washington County.

“I think the rules should be the same for everyone else,” she said. “The only reason Sonic can advertise a happy hour for drinks is because they don’t have a liquor license.”

Jody Thornton of JJ’s Grill and Chill wanted to know how the ABC controls advertising on the Internet.

“The big chains have websites advertising drinks,” Thornton said. “Me, I can put up a banner in Fayetteville, but in Rogers or Bentonville, you can have one random person complain and it’s an issue.”

Jeff Merryman, general manager of Maverick’s Place, said he was upset his establishment was listed as having 75 police calls to the club, although club management has changed.

Merryman also claimed officers sit outside his establishment, waiting for people to leave after drinking.

Overall, Franklin said he was pleased with the introduction of the police’s new program, although, he added, it would have been nice to have Hamilton present to answer questions.

“It would have been a good idea for him to have been there, but they’ve got some good officers to run that program,” Franklin said. “I think the program is going to be a good thing. It’s not the program we were trying to slam, it was all the things that led up to it.”

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