Boise Police to pull Bar Team from Downtown Boise Area

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho

Boise Police Chief Michael Masterson will pull the Bar Team Unit from patrolling Downtown Boise on January 10th, according to sources within Idaho Law Enforcement. The issues surrounding this decision, where in relation to budget negotiations between Chief Masterson and Boise Idaho Mayor David Bieter over funds to hire more officers in the area.

According to the Boise Police website, this was how the purpose of the Bar Team was described,
“The primary goal of the Boise City Police Department Bar Team is to reduce violence and the fear of victimization in the downtown core area.” Continuing on they stated,

“In general terms we strive to increase safety and reduce property damage through the appropriate use of education, engineering and enforcement of existing laws. We also work with the Boise City Attorney to ensure that existing laws enable us to achieve our goal.”
http://police.cityofboise.org/home/specialty-units/bar-team/

Glenn, a resident of Boise had stated that the decision would allow for groups to start claiming individual corners of Downtown Boise as their own. Examples of this in previous years, included such names as, “Juggalo Corner” and “Cowboy Corner.”

Downtown Boise had been the subject of many incidents involving Public Safety, prompting area businesses to push for an Aggressive Solicitation Ordinance, which was later subject to protests
and a legal challenge in Federal Court by the Idaho ACLU.

Concerns from area businesses included, “harassment of customers, Public Health Issues involving homeless encampments, and loss of revenue from customers being afraid to go into the Downtown area to shop.”

At night, many of the Public Safety issues in the downtown area had involved people fighting outside of area bars.

During one particular night in September, it was estimated that 7 fights had occurred in the Downtown area. Two of them, had started in front of the bars,

Fight in front of Hannnah’s Bar

Fight in Front of Sammy’s Bar and Wiseguy’s Pizza

Earlier that same night, a man had to be escorted off the rooftop of Hannah’s by Boise Police and Fire Departments,

As the City of Boise begins budget negotiations, the number of people attending area businesses at night continues to decline.