(The Center Square) – Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown proposed two ordinances on Thursday that could make it illegal to buy a can of beer, other single-serve alcohol containers and smoking paraphernalia.
The first measure would establish an Alcohol Impact Area, or AIA, within the Spokane Police Department’s downtown precinct, about 2% of the city geographically. According to a news release , the AIA would replace another “inadvertently repealed by the former administration.”
Brown’s ordinance intends to mitigate crime linked to the sale and consumption of alcohol from off-premises locations, such as liquor, grocery and convenience stores. If approved, buying single-serving containers within the AIA would be illegal.
“Reestablishing an Alcohol Impact Area is an important step toward addressing some of the root causes of crime within downtown Spokane,” Police Chief Kevin Hall wrote in the release. “Our data shows that when the previous downtown AIA was in place, it was directly correlated with a lower rate of alcohol-related calls for service.”