Anoka Bars Closing Earlier to Cut Crime

ANOKA, Minn. (AP) _ Last call for alcohol is ending an hour earlier in Anoka.

Beginning Jan. 1, the city will require bars to close at 1 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. in an effort to cut down on crime. Police Chief Andy Youngquist says it takes 16 hours of overtime each week to police the downtown bars Friday and Saturday nights.

The police department conducted a study this year that showed 61 percent of calls they received in any given weekend fell within the final two hours of bar closings each night, up from 56 percent in 2017.

Billy's Bar and Grill owner Paul Justen say he doesn't think closing the taverns an hour earlier will solve the problem. Justen says it will just push the problem on others.