Fulton County

commissioners voted last week to prohibit alcoholic beverage sales at

any adult entertainment businesses, but the real decision could come in

an upcoming court case.

Deputy Fulton

Attorney June Green said the county is waiting to hear if the U.S. Supreme

Court is going to hear the county's appeal of an 11th Circuit Court ruling

that allowed alcohol sales at adult establishments.

The county

went ahead and passed a stricter ordinance governing the sales of alcohol,

because the county didn't want any groups applying for permits before

the case is heard, she added.

The commission

conducted a public hearing last month on the ordinance and heard a damning

report from Chief of Police George Coleman on the correlation between

crime and alcohol at the establishments.

Coleman said

the Fulton County Police Department instituted an extensive operation

in 1998 to combat vice in the Fulton Industrial Boulevard corridor.

The department

had received numerous complaints from business owners who were near three

adult entertainment establishments.

In its sweep,

the department made 167 arrests and convicted all but one person. The

overwhelming percentage of the crimes were sex-related and the second

highest percentage of crimes was drug-related.

The ordinance

as passed would prohibit the consumption or sale of alcoholic beverages

at any adult entertainment business.

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