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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) provided News Channel 11 with numbers on arrests and citations that took place downtown over the weekend.
The Aug. 9-10 weekend looked a little different in downtown Johnson City, as the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) assisted the JCPD by providing patrols in the area.
The assistance from the WCSO comes as downtown businesses and the public push back against a proposed change to Johnson City’s “last call” ordinance, which would limit the sale of alcohol at establishments citywide from 3 a.m. to 1 a.m.
City leaders cited a pattern of violence in the downtown area as a primary reason for the proposed ordinance change, which initially only affected the downtown district. However, after downtown bar owners claimed the proposal was singling out their businesses and would only drive consumers away from the Main Street area, the city altered the proposal, expanding the scope of the last call change to the entire city.
During the City Commission’s second reading on Thursday, Commissioner Todd Fowler said he was open to changing the last call time to 2 a.m. instead of the proposed 1 a.m. before the final vote on the ordinance.
The last call ordinance passed on its second reading that night, with the only alteration being to include “all zoning districts that permit on-premises beer sales,” rather than just the downtown district.
Commissioners also said they wanted to hear more from the sheriff’s office about the agency’s plan to increase patrols downtown before the final vote.
The third and final public hearing and commission vote on the last call ordinance will be on Aug. 21.
According to the department, patrols in the downtown area conducted by JCPD on-duty patrol shift and members of the JCPD Special Investigative Squad resulted in the following:
- One DUI arrest
- Two underage consumption arrests by citations
- Four city citations were issued for liquor law violations (drinking in public areas)
- One driving on a suspended license arrest by citation
- One trespassing warning issued
According to the JCPD, the above police actions took place from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday, and from 10 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday.
“The JCPD is appreciative of the weekend patrol support from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office,” the department said in a statement provided to News Channel 11. “The ongoing partnership is another step forward in enhancing safety in Johnson City.”