Jim Rhea

Police say they responded to more calls for service at Powell’s bars and liquor stores over the past year.

Between November 2023 and October 2024, data from the Powell Police Department indicates there were roughly 60 alcohol-related calls at the city’s licensed establishments — up from about 35 in the prior year. However, the number of reports involving disturbances, public intoxication and assaults remained steady.

The police department’s annual report generally gave good marks to the city’s 18 current license holders, noting roughly a dozen times when the businesses proactively reported problems.

For example, The Lamplighter Inn Liquor Store received a positive mark in September for reporting that a customer urinated in the parking lot, poured his newly purchased alcohol into a bottle and drove off. (The man was later arrested for DUI and other charges.)

Meanwhile, Millstone Pizza Company & Brewery got positive marks for reporting a possible fake ID in March and a

disruptive patron in June (responding officers opened a case after discovering the patron was on probation and not supposed to be drinking).

The K-Bar Saloon also picked up a couple positive marks for reporting unruly customers in March and September, but it drew the only negative mark when an officer found the bar open past the mandatory 2 a.m. closing time in June.

At the Nov. 18 Powell City Council meeting, Mayor John Wetzel indicated that “generally, it sounds pretty good.” 

Powell Police Chief Jim Rhea agreed overall, though he made a point of noting 15 alcohol-related incidents involving disturbances, domestic disputes or assaults at the K-Bar. Rhea said he’d met with owner Amy Cozzens and “talked about ways that we can try to have better cooperation from her establishment and her staff, and to adhere to the hours of operation.”

The chief called it a good conversation, and he also complimented the establishment for reaching out when assistance is needed.

“[Cozzens] does a very good job, and her staff does a very good job of notifying the Powell Police Department when there’s issues,” Rhea said. “... then we respond, and then it generates an incident. And that’s why you have that [higher] number.”

Councilman Steve Lensegrav added that the K-Bar appears to be one of Powell’s busiest establishments, and Rhea agreed that likely contributes to the higher calls.

In an interview this week, Cozzens similarly attributed the additional volume at the K-Bar to its steadier hours of operation and its willingness to call police.

“We definitely are the stricter bar, in my opinion,” she said.

Cozzens added that she and her staff don’t overserve patrons and kick out those who are causing problems. While they work to deescalate arguments, those that turn into physical fights are always reported to the police, she said. “I would rather be safe than sorry.”

Last year, Cozzens made a successful push for the city’s bars to be able to stay open an hour later (until 3 a.m.) two nights a year. She explained that her intent was to prevent customers from driving to the Byron Bar, which stays open later on Halloween and New Year’s Eve.

The council agreed to the request, and Cozzens said this week that the extra hour has kept more people at the K-Bar and off the road those nights.

“We always want to make sure they’re safe,” she said. “Doing that and having a [designated driver] for them to use for free, it has made a world of difference.”

The council OK’d later hours this year, though at November’s meeting, Wetzel said that “would definitely be in jeopardy” if there were continued instances of establishments staying open too late.

Rhea told the council he hopes to meet with all of the liquor license holders over the coming months to discuss ways they and his department can improve relations; the chief, who took office in June, noted that police have had very little interaction with some of the establishments.

In most years, police conduct so-called alcohol compliance checks — sending underage, pretend buyers into establishments to see if they’re checking IDs and following the law — but they performed no such checks over the past year.

At the end of last month’s discussion, the council unanimously renewed all of the city’s liquor licenses for 2025.