Keeping Tabs On Police Calls At Fredericksburg Bars

Most of Fredericsburg's local bars had fewer than five police calls since Dec. 4, 2011, according to a report the police department released Wednesday.

Aladin's Restaurant and Cafe off Rt. 3 had the most with 20 police calls. Represenatives from that restaurant could not yet be reached for comment.

The information was collected because City Council and the police department are looking into nuisance problems in the city after a fight broke out Saturday morning by F.W. Sullivans on William Street downtown. A group of people was fighting outside the bar and restaurant after it closed at 2 a.m. and two people were pushed through the front window and shattered it. One man from Tennessee was arrested for felony destruction of property. The incident put F.W. Sullivans' owners in an uncomfortable spotlight .

F.W. Sullivans has become one of the more popular downtown destinations since it opened late last year and the owners say thousands of people walk through the doors on any given weekend. Jake Crocker, the president of F.W.'s, said he thought the incident Saturday morning was blown out of proportion and that it has hurt his business's reputation. He said his security staff work hard at keeping the business safe and that his bartenders actually refused to serve the guy who was charged in the fight. Crocker said he cannot control what grown adults do outside of his business on the public sidewalks, which is where the fight broke out. Crocker also said that most of the police calls to his business since Dec. 4, 2011, were initiated by employees, not customers.

Crocker and co-owner Hayden Fisher met with the police department and city officials Wednesday afternoon to discuss the problems. Crocker said usually a police officer is always watching activity at the restaurant from across the street at the bank parking lot, but that Saturday morning the officer must have been on another call.

"It went fantastic," Crocker said after the meeting with city officials. "We are working together to ensure the public safety of our patrons and the people of Fredericksburg. Everything is positive and hopefully we are shedding some of the negativity this incident brought us and we've gotten a tremendous amount of support on our Facebook page."

Aladin's had 20 police calls since Dec. 4, 2011. The calls range from drug activity, to assaults to staying open serving alcohol after the state-mandated cut-off time to larcenies. That is double the number of calls to F.W. Sullivans during the same time period. All of the other restaurant/bars had less than 10 calls and two—Spirits and Colonial Tavern—had no police activity.

Fisher said he did discuss this list with the police on Wednesday.

"Part of that is because we've been very busy but, regardless, we're ready to put the past behind and move forward," he said. "We have a good strategy for limiting the ability of a few people to cause problems, 99 percent of our patrons are fine."

Below is the list of police activity at local bars:

12/4 – police initiated call – intoxicated male TOT taxi
12/18 – police initiated call – disturbance and assault allegedly involving a knife, one subject arrested
for public intoxication, magistrate denied warrant for second subject regarding assault, weapon never located

No incidents

Capital Ale, 917 Caroline St
12/29 – disturbance called in by employee – subject arrested for public intoxication
1/23 – disturbance called in by patron – subject arrested for public intoxication

12/15 – disturbance called in by employee – cars drag racing in parking lot, vehicles were GOA
12/16 – called in by employee regarding fight outside front doors, one subject with head injury, unknown assailants

12/4 – police initiated call – subject arrested for public intoxication
12/10 – disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud music, management advised and turned it down
12/11 – disturbance called in by employee regarding intoxicated male, officer cleared advised
12/22 – disturbance called in by employee regarding subjects horsing around, window was broken, manager did not want report
12/26 – vandalism called in by employee, four subjects in dispute with management and front glass was broken during incident
12/27 – disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud music, management advised and turned it down
1/6 – police initiated call, checking for compliance on overcrowding
1/7 – police initiated call, management advised on overcrowding and over‐serving
1/7 – disturbance called in by neighbor regarding male subject outside behind the business yelling and half undressed, officer cleared advised
1/8 – police initiated call regarding glass breakage, checking intoxicated male with lacerations, subject TOT rescue squad
1/20 – injured customer called in by management, subject fell in bathroom, police requested for assistance with crowd
1/21 – fight called in by employee, two groups of males fighting outside entrance and two panes of glass
broken, one subject arrested for destruction of property, one subject checked by rescue for severe laceration

12/8 – police initiated call, checking three suspicious subjects, advised to leave the area
12/10 – disturbance called in by security regarding threats, subjects were advised
12/10 – police initiated call regarding disturbance, subjects advised
12/11 – fight called in by unknown caller, GOA upon officer arrival
12/17 – police initiated call regarding suspicious activity in parking lot, one subject arrested for possession of marijuana
12/17 – assist rescue due to crowd, one subject who had fallen and sustained head injury, subject arrested for public intoxication
12/17 – two larcenies called in by patrons, purses stolen and later found in men’s bathroom
12/17 – disturbance called in by security, request to clear the parking lot due to large crowd
12/19 – police initiated call, found business open after hours and serving alcohol to employees and at least one minor, warning issued
12/24 – police initiated call regarding disturbance, found female who reported being assaulted inside the business, complainant advised how to press charges
12/24 – police initiated call regarding fight in parking lot, lot cleared and subjects advised
12/24 – police initiated call regarding suspicious subjects, advised to leave the area
12/30 – disturbance called in by employee regarding intoxicated patron, subject TOT sober ride home
12/31 – suspicious activity called in by unknown caller regarding possible drug deal in parking lot, vehicle GOA upon officer arrival
12/31 – police initiated call regarding suspicious subjects, advised to leave the area
1/1 – police initiated call regarding disturbance, one subject arrested for underage possession of alcohol
1/7 – police initiated call regarding disturbance with security escorting several subjects out of business, advised and assisted
1/8 ‐ police initiated call regarding disturbance with security escorting several subjects out of business, advised and assisted
1/8 – police initiated report to document three disturbances observed at entrance and in parking lot, loitering, and trash left behind indicating alcohol consumption outside the business
1/9 – complaint called in by patron regarding larceny of cell phone

1/7 – police initiated call regarding disturbance, officer cleared advised
1/10 – police initiated call regarding disturbance, officer cleared advised

12/10 – police initiated call, management advised about over‐serving
12/23 – called in by employee regarding disturbance, patron fighting with bouncers, one subject
arrested for public intoxication, second report taken regarding assault inside business
12/30 – police initiated call regarding disturbance, checked intoxicated female, turned over to sober ride home
1/1 – police initiated call regarding disturbance involving intoxicated males, officer cleared assisted
1/1 – assault called in by passerby, male subject severe head injury after being assaulted by off‐duty employee, employee arrested for aggravated assault

No incidents

12/15 – disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud talking outside building, officer advised management
12/15 – disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud music, officer advised management
12/22 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud music, officer advised management
1/14 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud music, officer advised management

12/5 – complaint called in by patron regarding stolen wallet
12/23 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud shouting, officer advised management
12/30 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud shouting, officer advised management
1/7 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud shouting, officer advised management
1/13 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud music, officer advised management
1/14 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud shouting, officer advised management
1/21 ‐ disturbance called in by neighbor regarding loud music, officer advised management