HARLINGEN, Texas- As bars across the Rio Grande Valley prepare to open their doors this Friday, police officers are also getting ready to patrol neighborhoods.
“I’m going to be thoroughly delighted to be open again,” said Chuck, the owner of Chuck’s Ice House Volleybar in Harlingen.
Sanitation stands, constant cleaning, and masking tape is what Chuck is doing to adhere to the safety guideline, come opening day.
“All around my bar area to let everybody know you can’t sit there I won’t allow them to move chairs and sit down, they have to be where I designate seating,” said Chuck.
With bars finally able to open, police officers are aware that more people will be heading out on the roads.
“We actually have almost double the officers on the roads during these times as well and so like we always do the officers will be actively patrolling for drinking and driving,” said Officer Arielle Benedict with the Edinburg Police Department.
According to Officer Benedict, police will also be monitoring bars to ensure they are following the state’s guidelines the same way they did when restaurants first opened up.
“Our code enforcement team would visit and make sure that the capacity was met, that masks were on if the business was requesting people to have their masks on.”
Officer Benedict says they do expect to see a spike in DWI’s with bars reopening. She is reminding the public that a DWI is a Class B misdemeanor and could cost you $2,000 to $4,000 and up to 180 days in jail.
