'They're magnets for violent crime.' Bridgeport City Council enacts ordinance regulating after-hours clubs
"The problem is, after bars close, people start flocking to these establishments - and then we have to bring in extra officers and pay them overtime to handle the problems that arise," Porter said.
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You can find them all over Bridgeport - hookah lounges and other after-hours clubs that have traditionally stayed open long after bars have closed - sometimes until dawn.
"We've had murders there and one young woman got her face slashed open recently," said Police Chief Roderick Porter.
"The problem is, after bars close, people start flocking to these establishments - and then we have to bring in extra officers and pay them overtime to handle the problems that arise," Porter said.
But the Bridgeport City Council recently enacted an ordinance that requires these clubs to close at 1 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and at 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
"This will save lives, and it will save money," said Councilwoman Eneida Martinez, who helped to draft the ordinance.
But some of the business owners oppose the move.
"It's going to harm us financially," said one hookah lounge operator who asked not to be named.
"Connecticut does not regulate Hookah lounges, as we do not serve alcohol and we do not possess liquor permits, operating solely as tobacco lounges. We are being targeted and used as an example for the challenges that city officials are facing. Moreover, no officials have reached out to us and this lack of communication is unfair and lacks transparency," he said.
Under the ordinance, violators can be charged a $250 fine per violation.
