The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Bar owners ask for increased police presence on Murphy

By Justin Berton

Murphy Avenue bar owners asked public safety officers two weeks ago to step up their numbers on the street during crowded, sometimes raucous, weekend nights.

At a meeting for downtown merchants June 17, an owner of a Murphy Avenue tavern asked police officials to assign at least two officers to patrol the avenue on foot in hopes that the presence of uniformed officers will deter troublemakers from getting out of hand.

"I need it for the protection of my customers," said Raphael Martino, bar manager for Murphy's Law, located in the center of the strip. Martino has worked on the avenue for five years and said he is forced to call police at least once a weekend to rid his bar of drunken, rowdy customers. The response time, Martino said, would be lightning quick if officers were stationed in the area.

Increased public presence, Martino added, would stop patrons who get kicked out of one bar from simply crossing the street and causing trouble at another bar.

But police officials have maintained that the area is not in need of additional officers.

Capt. Steve Pigott said two patrol officers are responsible for the beat that includes the downtown area. Pigott said the officers walk the avenue as time permits.

Police Captain Don Johnson, who was in attendance at the merchants' meeting, said, "We don't have any intention of hiring full-time officers now. Based on historical data for the area, it is not warranted."

Over the past two years, the beat that includes Murphy Avenue averaged nearly 500 calls for help each year, according to police records. That number, Johnson said, is on par with other beats in the city.

Still, the avenue has the potential for more problems than other areas of the city due to the large number of drinking establishments in the area, some Murphy proprietors contend.

On or near Murphy Avenue, 18 establishments sell alcohol, with two more set to open in July. Bartenders and managers on the street were quick to point out they are pleased with the overall performance of the Sunnyvale Public Safety Department, but added that continual protection is necessary to prevent the area from returning to its infamous past as a raucous part of town.

Marcus Belardes, an assistant manager at Stoddard's Brew House who works weekend evenings, said the street is in need of continual police presence.

"I've been on this street three years, and you see it happen: fist fights, arguments," he said. "It would be nice to lean out the door and have certain problems get taken care of before they get out of hand."

The request for more police presence comes two months after a public safety officer shot and killed a Sunnyvale man on the street during a busy Friday night.

The man, a patron of Murphy's Law, had placed what appeared to be a handgun on the bar, inciting the bartender to kick him out and call 911. After police found and chased the man--who was brandishing what police later discovered was a pellet gun--an officer shot him five times. Nearly 100 people in the area witnessed the incident.

Though Johnson could not comment on the shooting, which, like all police shootings, is under investigation by a grand jury, he did say the police response time was "rapid" and well under the four-minute standard.

While some bar owners are pressing for more police, not all their patrons agree with them. Leslie Kirkland, a Sunnyvale resident enjoying the avenue last Friday night, said too many police officers in the downtown area can be a distraction to having a good time.

"It's intimidating," she said. "[Having] cops around make you feel on guard."

But "on guard" is how bar employees want the potential troublemakers to feel.

During special events, such as the Art & Wine Festival and St. Patrick's day, Belardes said his restaurant hires a private security company to handle the increased crowds.

Two years ago, before the security guards were hired, Belardes said there was a fist fight in the restaurant.

Nighttime weekend protection has also been a topic of concern in neighboring San Jose recently. This week the City Council voted on a plan to repeal an ordinance that forces nightclub owners in the downtown district to pay the city for police officer presence.

None of the bar owners or bartenders interviewed on Murphy Avenue said reimbursing the city of Sunnyvale for police costs would be a feasible solution.

"It would cut into profits just like that," Martino said.

Johnson said the bar owners could help themselves by refusing to serve patrons who are already intoxicated and by clearly defining how urgent the situation is when they call 911 for help.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 1, 1998.
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