Clayton partygoers who like to get their drink on until the wee hours of the morning may soon get an assist in the pursuit from county law enforcement.
The Clayton County Police Department has proposed extending the hours bars and lounges in the south metro-Atlanta community can serve alcohol by an hour, from the current 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.
At a Tuesday meeting of the Clayton County Commission, Clayton Police Chief said the change would align serving hours with those of nearby counties such as DeKalb and Henry and put money in the coffers of local restaurateurs and bars owners.
“In the interest of economic development and opportunity for our small business owners to make the profits that they want to make while still being in compliance with our ordinance, I respectfully ask the board to consider the highlighted adjustments,” Roberts said in pitching the change.
The police department decided to pursue the change after business owners complained of customers crossing county lines to continue drinking because Clayton’s serving ordinance was more restrictive, Roberts said. The department also was running into increasing problems shutting down Clayton bars that were illegally serving past operating hours.
“When we responded to those incidents, we had to respond in mass,” he said. “The explanations given by those managers and owners is: ‘I’m trying to make a dollar.’”
But Commissioner Demont Davis said he’s concerned that adding an hour of drinking could lead to an increase in crime and greater public safety problems.
“In my mind, I see a negative return on investment,” he said.
Roberts said the concern is valid, but that he has had discussions with bar owners about the changes and they understand that any alterations will come with increased scrutiny by police.
“The reason I’m not asking for 4:30 a.m. or 5 is because we need to take baby steps and monitor that change,” he said.
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