FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A new program in Fort Lauderdale has everyone from police officers to bar and restaurant employees teaming up to help keep customers safe.
Bar Watch aims to avoid a situation where customers have their drinks drugged, making them vulnerable to sexual assault.
The program is the first of its kind in the nation, working with bars and bartenders on what to look for to ensure customers’ safety.
Local bars like America’s Backyard in downtown Fort Lauderdale have begun to carry Bar Watch coasters, which double as tests to test drinks. Using a straw, customers can dab a few drops of a drink in a designated area in the coaster. If the spot turns dark, there’s a chance the beverage has been altered.
“We’re all about that, and we want to work with the city, we want to work with the community to provide a better experience,” said America’s Backyard owner Jeff John.
Bartenders at America’s Backyard have gone through the police department’s training program.
“There’s a lot they can look for — sudden changes in behavior,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione, “if someone goes from as lucid as you and I are right now to barely being able to stand up.”
Chuck Bergwin, the owner of Tacocraft along Las Olas Boulevard, said they are also on board with Bar Watch.
“I thought it was great from the get-go,” he said.
Not long after the training, an employee at Tacocraft spotted a woman in trouble with someone she didn’t know.
“One of my bartenders stepped in and said, ‘I think it’s time for you to go home,'” said Bergwin.
The bartender was able to intervene in time.
“We got her phone, we called an Uber to head home, and off she went,” said Bergwin.
Police said there’s no substitute for common sense when it comes to going out, but it doesn’t help to have someone else keeping an eye out.
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