Should the city require retailers to install and maintain security cameras?
Should bartenders be forced to stay sober while on the job?
The Legislation & Permits Committee debated those two topics Tuesday night, at the request of South Milwaukee Police Chief Ann Wellens. We voted to move discussion to the full City Council at its next meeting Tuesday, January 19.
There is no official ordinance on the table, but here is what’s being discussed.
- Security cameras. Some communities, including St. Francis, have enacted ordinances requiring, to varying degrees, businesses install and maintain interior and exterior security cameras. The goal: to improve safety by deterring potential criminals from targeting those businesses … and to make it easier to arrest and prosecute lawbreakers.
- Sober servers. La Crosse and Jackson, among others, have enacted ordinances requiring bartenders to maintain a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or below — the state standard for sober driving — while on the job. The goal here: to ensure servers keep a clear mind while they’re behind the bar and, hopefully, following local and state laws when it comes to overserving, underage serving and other issues.
Where do I stand on these?
At first glance, I like the concept of mandated security cameras, but I want to hear from the business community before I truly make up my mind on this. Do business owners support this? Or is a mandate like this too much of a burden? I have asked the South Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce for an opinion and will keep you posted.
I strongly support the sober server concept. This seems like a no-brainer to me. We ask a lot of our bartenders in encouraging them to keep an orderly, and lawful, establishment … and I argue they can only do that when they’re sober. And the 0.08 threshold is a good one. I am not against bartenders having an occasional drink — I just want to make sure they’re not drunk on the job.
I’d like to know what you think about these. Post your comments below.
South Milwaukee Blog 
I with you on the bartender rule. The sad part is that it is even necessary to consider passing a law. It’s hard to believe that any business would want someone working for them and handling their inventory and money who is legally impaired. I’m not in favor of regulations proposed by others that would mandate absolute sobriety (0.0).
However, not in favor of the mandated cameras. While they are obviously a good thing and if I were a small business owner who was open to the public I would most likely have them, I think this is too much intrusion by the government into the running of private business. You can’t mandate everything that’s good and where do you stop? If having cameras recording is good, how about round the clock monitoring of those cameras?
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