Recently, the city of Seattle petitioned the Washington State Liquor Control Board to push serving hours for bars and other establishments past the customary 2 a.m. closing time.
While the process is still ongoing on whether Seattle will be allowed to extend those hours, Federal Way announced its opposition to this idea at the April 4 city council meeting, citing a number of concerns.
Federal Way Police Chief Brian Wilson outlined what he perceives to be the problematic nature of Seattle’s request.
“There are potentially negative impacts to public safety as a result of this policy change to the WAC (Washington Administrative Code) rules. There could be higher levels of intoxication associated with longer hours of operation, more drunk drivers on the road during peak early morning commute times, and greater demand for law enforcement services over that extended period of time,” Wilson warned.
Wilson believes any change could lead to an increase in alcohol-related injuries and deaths, and that Federal Way and surrounding communities police departments will be overstretched by the extra enforcement needed. The extra enforcement, Wilson said, will be especially problematic, considering the uncertainty of the state budget and how it affects police departments at the local level.
Deputy Mayor Jim Ferrell said opposing the extension is the right thing to do.
“Every day as I walk into my office…at the King County Prosecutors Office, I have to walk by the main felony prosecutor who handles felony driving offenses for the county, and that’s a senior deputy prosecutor named Amy Friedheim. And when you walk into Amy Friedheim’s office, there are pictures of people who have been killed as a result, frequently, of felony DUI offenders and hit and run offenders. And it’s a powerful, powerful reminder of how people’s lives can be shattered in an instant,” Ferrell said.
Ferrell minced no words in what he thought of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn’s idea.
“This recommendation by the mayor of the city of Seattle is horrendously bad public policy,” Ferrell said.
Wilson re-iterated his concerns about this idea, citing his extensive experience in dealing with DUI cases.
“I’ve been involved in alcohol-related enforcement, DUI enforcement, for my entire career. And I have pretty good instincts pertaining to that, and I am very concerned about what this will mean to that person looking for that last drink and continuing their evening into Seattle and then getting back on the road and coming back here to our community later,” Wilson said.
