HPD Chief Jackson Works To Identify Tools To Eliminate Public Intoxication

By Linda Kor
   Public intoxication is not an uncommon site in Holbrook. No matter how long you’ve lived here, there is a sense of irritation and disappointment at the sight of individuals who have drank too much struggling to walk along the sidewalk, passed out along roadways, and disturbing residents and visitors to our city.
   It’s easy to see the problem, what’s difficult is finding a solution that will effectively eliminate public drunkenness without the average citizen feeling that solving that problem creates more problems.
   According to Chief Mark Jackson of the Holbrook Police Department, this issue has been ongoing for longer than most of us have been alive.
   “I have records in my office of Holbrook having issues with public drunkenness that go as far back as the 1930s. As of yet, there has been no effective solution,” stated Jackson.
   The most recent attempt to curb public intoxication was through an ordinance approved by the city council in November 2008. The ordinance, Section 3-4-10, simply states that it is unlawful to be publicly intoxicated if that person is unable to exercise care for his or her own safety or the safety of other, or inter-feres with, obstructs or prevents the free use of a public place.
   According to Jackson, while this ordinance is a good tool, it’s not a solution. “Being intoxicated in public is not a criminal offense in and of itself. That means that if we hold an intoxicated person in the city lock-up on a violation of a city ordinance, the city is liable if anything should happen to that person, also for any transport or care for that individual,” explained Jackson. In other words, if that person should be-come sick, have a medical condition that is activated while in the jail or hurts himself somehow, the city has to pay the bill.
   “All we can do with that tool is book them, cite them, then release them. When it becomes criminal is when they don’t show up for court and a warrant goes into effect. Then it is a criminal offense and we can have that individual arrested,” stated Jackson.
   To emphasize the need for action, on Friday, Oct. 23, Jackson walked along the alleyway between Hopi Drive and Arizona Street from First Avenue to Eighth Avenue and collected every bottle along that stretch of road.
   He ended up with 622 empty 40-ounce bottles and only a few of any other kind. What he wanted to show by that endeavor is that a 40-ounce bottle of alcohol, which has a screw on lid, is a big part of the problem. “These individuals buy the 40-ounce bottles because the lid can be screwed on, it can be shared and it’s easy to carry,” explained Jackson.
   Using that fact, Jackson will be going before the city council to request that an ordinance be passed stating that no 40-ounce bottles of beer be allowed to be sold within city limits.
   “I’m not trying to eliminate the sale of alcohol in Holbrook; I know that won’t happen. I’m trying to create tools to address a serious problem,” emphasized Jackson. What he hopes is that the elimination of this size of container will make congregating in alleyways and carrying alcohol around less convenient.
   “These people buy a 40-ounce bottle of alcohol, go and share it with friends in the alleyways, and then send another guy to buy more. The screw top lid also makes it easier for them to travel through town with,” stated Jackson.
   While the chief admits that it’s not a solution, he does believe that it’s one more tool that can be used to combat the problem in our city. “It makes it more difficult if these people can’t close the container or share their drink with others. It means more trips to the store and the likelihood of being turned away increases,” stated Jackson.
   The police chief plans to walk other alleyways in the city and collect more bottles. He also plans to re-visit those same alleyways at two-week intervals and document the type and number of containers he finds in order to track his theory and, hopefully, improve that aspect of our city.