Local alcohol regulations needed in El Cajon, enforcement effort shows

EL CAJON – Despite voluntary efforts to curb problems around alcohol outlets in El Cajon, issues with chronic alcohol offenders still persist. As a result, the El Cajon Police now say they support stronger alcohol regulation for the City.

In March of this year, the El Cajon Police Department began an education and enforcement effort around local liquor stores with the objective to “determine if there is a correlation between business practices and the continuing problem with chronic alcohol offenders,” according to a June police department memorandum.

Stakeouts and minor decoy stings resulted in more than a dozen citations over a six-week period in April and May. In June, another four liquor stores received citations for signage violations.

A neighborhood survey conducted by the community coalition 2nd Street Alliance for a Better Community (ABC) in February showed that residents were concerned about two primary issues: public intoxication and panhandling.

ABC members voiced at a meeting that being approached by homeless individuals and chronic alcohol offenders also has been a concern for customers and business owners in the Second Street area.

To address these public safety issues, City Council directed the Planning Department to draft a “Deemed Approved Ordinance” for the City of El Cajon, which will give the City authority to crack down on retailers who allow nuisance activities to take place near their establishments, should the ordinance pass later this summer.

 The ordinance provides a tool for officials by requiring stores to operate by a set of guidelines, which include controlling graffiti, not selling to intoxicated individuals or minors and not allowing people to drink in public on their premises, ultimately making owners responsible for activities around their stores.

Officer Travis Howard of the ECPD Second Street bike unit said the ordinance would be helpful in assisting enforcement efforts in the area and would make it easier to regulate serial inebriates’ access to alcohol.

Since the February City Council meeting, the Neighborhood Market Association was given the opportunity to self-regulate and meet standards outlined by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).

“We’ve been working with stores. That’s what these last three months have been about. We’ve been training and educating stores, not enforcing,” Howard said.

Strategic surveillance operations by the ECPD took place during this trial period at 24 liquor store locations. During this time Officers observed chronic alcohol offenders, who are on a “do not sell” list given to store owners, successfully purchase alcohol from those vendors on multiple occasions throughout the month of April.

“People are panhandling and they go in the store and buy alcohol. They don’t care if they’re on the no-sell list or not,” bike unit Officer Mike Pollard of ECPD said.

The problem was summed up by a police department memorandum released in June: “There are still significant issues with single serve alcoholic beverage sales, sales to minors, sales to subjects on the “Do Not Sell List” and sales to obviously intoxicated people.”According to the memo, “The prospect of “self-policing” has done very little to decrease the issues around public intoxication, serial inebriates, and other quality of life issues.”

The next public hearing for the Deemed Approved Ordinance will take place on at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 12 at City Hall. All community members who are in support of the ordinance are encouraged to attend.