By Andrew W. Griffin

Red Dirt Report, editor

Posted: August 29, 2011

reddirtreporter@gmail.com

TULSA, Okla.  – Readers of Red Dirt Report were alarmed recently after agents with the Oklahoma ABLE (Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement) Commission raided bars in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow areas.

A longtime bar owner who has been the target of raids before, despite running reputable establishments that do not attract trouble, told Red Dirt Report that she did not want her name used at this time but wanted to inform this reporter that in the late hours of Aug. 19 and early hours of Aug. 20, ABLE agents, and many other law enforcement officers, targeted her business and a number of others.

Jim Hughes, spokesman for the ABLE Commission, confirmed that agents with ABLE, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Broken Arrow and Tulsa police departments, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office took part in a “multi-jurisdictional sweep” that involved “about 90 law enforcement personnel.”

Over the course of the evening, Hughes said, 120 people were ID’ed and no one under 21 was found. In all, six people were arrested.

Hughes said ABLE was taking part in a “national program” where a “state grant” is used to pay for the agents and others to participate.

The concerned bar owner that contacted Red Dirt Report said that while she was watching the ABLE agents, police officers and sheriff’s deputies look for drunks in her bar – several of whom were simply waiting for rides and had no intention of driving anywhere – one of the deputies sporting a gun and a badge happened to be State Rep. Dan Sullivan who works as a reserve deputy for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.

Our source said it was Sullivan who offered up the legislation that got the federal funding for the state program offering law enforcement officers overtime pay to ensure drunks aren’t out on the roads after leaving local bars.

We are told numerous photos were taken of the raids and that Sullivan appears in a couple of photos. We are looking to obtain copies of those photos to be posted here at Red Dirt Report.

And what was interesting is that Sullivan reportedly left the bar in an ABLE agent’s car. When we asked Hughes, with ABLE, if that was allowed, he chuckled and said. “We welcome any law enforcement officer to ride in our vehicles.”

The concern regarding Sullivan, the bar owner noted, was that Red Dirt Report had posted a story written by members of the Sooner Tea Party about Sullivan and allegations made against him. The bar owner was surprised that a man facing such allegations was allowed to carry a gun and badge.

The bar owner also said that in addition to Sullivan's presence, she was surprised at some of the childish behavior exhibited by some of the ABLE agents as they cited her and patrons were arrested.

But what our bar owner tipster noted was that they were using a loophole to come into bars and justify their overtime pay and so they can get good marks on future performance reports. Otherwise, why would ABLE and the other agencies bother hardworking business owners and their patrons, particularly in these economically-stressful times.

The bar owner told Red Dirt Report that her establishment has been targeted before and that she won a lawsuit against some bullies within a state agency some years back.

We have been hearing from trusted sources that there are powerful people in state government who are seeking to dismantle ABLE once and for all. We are told that there have been numerous problems connected with ABLE, its procedures and its interaction with the public and legitimate business owners.

In fact, while we were working on this story, The Oklahoman reported on Aug. 26 that “More than two dozen ABLE Commission and Oklahoma City-County Health Department agents descended on a MidTown coffee shop Friday night, shutting down what was supposed to be an inaugural nighttime food market.”

It appears that after ABLE and their compatriots in other law enforcement agencies did their overtime work in Tulsa, they went to Oklahoma City looking for things to do. Affected were three food trucks, including the award-winning Big Truck Tacos truck, which was cited to “having the wrong license and evidence of electrical problems.”

The Oklahoman reported that excited people “young and old” had gathered for the exciting new event, only to have ABLE rain on their parade, as it were. It was, according to reporter Steve Lackmeyer, a “crackdown” that “was part of inspections being held citywide Friday night.”

The question now is will this overzealous crackdown discourage people from coming downtown to try new food and enjoy new experiences?

As one commenter, Randy from Edmond, writing at NewsOK.com noted: “I think our tax dollars are being wasted on agencies that are infringing on liberties. This is part of a nanny state that is trying to ‘protect’ us from ourselves.”

As one online source notes: "The ABLE Commission has the authority to create as well as destroy. They revoke licenses just as quickly as they grant them."

Copyright 2011 West Marie Media