Crime and Alcohol in Communities

In a free society that allows alcohol to become a way of life comes with a price for communities and crime that can spiral out of control.

Recently, the Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Association presented a 24 page report to the Huntington Beach City Council regarding alcohol and public safety matters in Downtown Huntington Beach.

Here are some alarming statistics for Huntington Beach:

1) 306% more off-sales alcohol per capita than Orange County.

2) 776% more on-sales alcohol per capita than Orange County.

Obviously, there is a problem.

Let's shift to Fullerton. The highest concentration of bars are situated in Downtown Fullerton along Harbor Blvd and Commonwealth Ave.

According to the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) from the State of California statistics for the City of Fullerton are as follows:

Zip Code: 92831 41: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 35: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses
Zip Code: 92832 77: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 27: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses
Zip Code: 92835 15: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 16: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses

There are a grand total of outstanding 211 licenses has been issued by the ABC to various retail establishments in Fullerton that averages for every 597 residents makes up for one retail unit that sells alcohol.

A free society comes with responsibilities to ensure a peaceful communities without anarchy and violence that could become a burden to municipal resources (i.e., police, public safety, etc.)

Communities like Huntington Beach and Fullerton needs to examine the policies regarding the concentration of on-sale and off-sale retailers that sell liquor.

OC Register: 20-year-old arrested on DUI in crash that hurt 2 passengers

By SEAN EMERY

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

 

FULLERTON – A 20-year-old woman was arrested after police say she drove into light pole Sunday morning, seriously injuring her two passengers, after a night drinking in downtown Fullerton.

Police responding to reports of a traffic accident near Harbor Boulevard and Brea Boulevard about 2 a.m. found that a single vehicle had run into with a light pole, Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said.

A 21-year-old passenger from Anaheim was airlifted to Long Beach Memorial Hospital in critical condition, Goodrich said, while a 20-year-old passenger was taken to the hospital in an ambulance in serious condition.

The driver, Andrea Palacios of Fullerton, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Goodrich said. Once she was discharged from the hospital, Palacios was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI.

Authorities say the three women had been drinking in the downtown Fullerton area but declined to specify what establishments they are believed to have visited.

Police say that six people died during three DUI related accidents in 2009, including a high-speed crash that claimed the life of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart. Andrew Gallo was convicted of three counts of second-degree murder for crashing into a vehicle containing the rookie pitcher and two of his friends after leaving a Fullerton bar.

Police say there were also 28 injury collisions and 117 non-injury collisions in which alcohol or drugs were believed to play a factor. Overall, there were 984 DUI arrests in Fullerton last year.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the accident to call investigator Brandon Clyde at 714-738-6812.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or semery@ocregister.com