TABC will review crackdown on drunks in bars

Didn't Houstonist tell you that the state's crackdown on drunks in bars would change when it started affecting tourism? Ah, we were so right: The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has announced it will conduct an internal investigation of the program and will start retraining officers. TABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said officers will continue to arrest exceedingly drunk people, but the commission is taking complaints — of which there have been many — seriously.

The TABC has been conducting stings in bars since 2001, but it recently stepped up its enforcement after getting funding from the Legislature for about 100 more employees. Though we're sure nobody will argue with the reasoning behind the stings, which is decreasing drunk driving, a sting last month in the Dallas area prompted a lot of outcry. Last week, the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau said two groups had crossed the Big D off their lists of potential convention sites because of the crackdown, which we imagine made officials think twice about the program's effect on tourism in general.

A state House committee will hold a public hearing on the program April 17. In the meantime, TABC Chairman Alan Steen said the agency will clarify the goals of the program and retrain officers when necessary, though he didn't give specifics about either action. Officials stress that the people who have been arrested under the program have been very drunk, with blood-alcohol levels twice the legal limit.