Police adapt to growing McAllen nightlife district

Juan Luna is used to the noise.

Every Saturday night, the deep thump of dance music rattles his small downtown McAllen apartment complex. He and his wife reach for earplugs as they settle into bed, mostly relying on a piece of white foam wedged into a window frame to shield them from the boom of 17th Street.

"We’re not against young people having fun," Luna said in Spanish. "We know it’s a business."

Luna, 58, lives in a cozy upstairs apartment at the intersection of South 16th Street and Dallas Avenue. Drawn to its proximity to grocery stores and local shops, the couple moved to the downtown location five years ago. Luna did not own a vehicle at the time, and the quiet, pedestrian-friendly area seemed a perfect match for the pair’s lifestyle.

Then the bars moved in.

"We wake up seeing beer bottles outside," Luna said, pointing to an empty lot littered with the brown containers. "(Bar patrons) get drunk and start fights."

The biggest nuisance? Throngs of rowdy, reckless "indulged young people" that congregate outside his home.

On New Year’s Eve, a raucous crowd began to brawl in the building’s parking lot — Luna said he made a 9-1-1 call to prevent a swarm of feuding people from damaging his vehicle. By the time police bicycle patrol units arrived, many had already stumbled off into the night, Luna said.

The couple said several longtime neighbors have moved out of the apartment complex in the past year, when bars and clubs along 17th Street experienced rapid success.

"Many of them are older, like us," Eva Luna, 54, said of her neighbors in Spanish. "They’re leaving."

‘A GROWING PAIN’

As bars and clubs continue to sprout in the city’s designated entertainment district, police are struggling to adjust to a surge in demand for service downtown.

Earlier this month, the McAllen Police Department added six bicycle patrol units to monitor the area along South 17th from Austin to Houston avenues, doubling the number of officers in the entertainment district on busy nights. McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez hopes the boost will help during the hectic spring and summer months.

"There’s no question — there’s more demand from us on that street than ever before," Rodriguez said. "We are a growing community. ... This one is a growing pain."

McAllen police arrested 1,550 people for public intoxication in 2009 — a 20 percent increase compared to the year before. Reported drug abuse violations went up by 94, according to statistics released by the McAllen Police Department. However, the number of arrests made for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol dropped by 153 cases in the city.

The chief said the police department may need to seek funds for additional officers to monitor the downtown area, where most adult arrests occur.

"It is taxing us considerably," Rodriguez said. "There is a bigger commitment on our part in terms of personnel."

The trend on 17th Street is different from other challenges the police department has faced in dealing with the city’s developing nightlife.

Within the past few years, venues emerged along Main Street, a residential area shared with art galleries and restaurants designated by the city as the arts district. Police there momentarily dealt with a spike in noise, parking and littering complaints, the chief said.

And until recently, three bars operated near the intersection of North 10th Street and Dove Avenue. Rodriguez said the location of those bars concerned police because people would often walk across busy 10th Street due to limited parking.

"There were a couple of other spots around town, but those were isolated buildings," Rodriguez said. However, on 17th Street, "there are three dozen bars and growing. Obviously, the problem is different in that regard."

Downtown, police frequently deal with intoxicated people being disorderly or committing assault.

"(Bar patrons) get loud, boisterous. ... They go around the alley and do the bathroom," Rodriguez said. "That type of activity has made us busy down there."

‘NEVER THE INTENTION’

The city, along with the nonprofit Heart of the City board leading the area’s development, has for years committed to developing a bustling nightlife on 17th Street, comparable to that of Sixth Street in Austin.

Heart of the City director Joe Rodriguez said the spike in public intoxication and drug arrests in the area was "never the intention" of the project, whose partial goal is to retain McAllen’s young professionals and keep them from heading north.

"We want to make sure we have officers there on site," he said. "We want to make sure there’s peace."

Joe Rodriguez said he encourages downtown bar owners to keep alcoholic beverage prices high to deter customers from overdrinking.

"If you get drunk on those prices, it’s hard for me to believe," he said. "They’re like $10 a mixed drink, and that’s the intention, because we don’t want everyone to get drunk."

Bar prices on 17th are also high to attract "a better clientele," Joe Rodriguez said.

"We’re not a college town," he said. "A college kid cannot afford a $10 drink."

Boiler Room owner Chuck Gomez said all bartenders at the venue are certified by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and they are trained to stop serving people who are visibly drunk.

"There are cops everywhere across the street from anywhere that sells alcohol," Gomez said. "I haven’t noticed that (public intoxication) is a really bad problem."

Gomez said police are likely arresting more bar patrons because the bustling entertainment district is getting more out-of-town visitors on weekends.

"People come from everywhere — Brownsville, Harlingen — they’re coming from farther and farther (away)," Gomez said. "With more people, you’re going to have more incidents. It’s as simple as that."

Meanwhile, the Lunas say they want more vigilance downtown to keep up with the growing crowds.

"We don’t want to move away," Juan Luna said. "We just need to slow this down a bit."