Public Drunkenness Outlawed Throughout Babylon Town

Don't hit the taps too hard next time your out for a drink nearby – the Town of Babylon has outlawed intoxication in public or at cabarets or dance halls.

The law, passed unanimously at Babylon Town Hall on Thursday, made appearing intoxicated in public a misdemeanor offense throughout the town's borders, including the villages of Amityville, Babylon and Lindenhurst.

Breaking the new law could cost the accused between $250 and $1,000, or up to 90 days in jail. Fines could reach as high as $5,000 for repeat offenders.

"We want to be able to send a message that we're serious, not only about drugs but about alcohol, too, for both the people drinking and those around them," Town Supervisor Richard Schaffer told Newsday. "I've personally seen the damage it does to families because I've had alcoholism in my family."

The new law joins open-container and consumption laws that have already been in effect. Those laws were put in effect in 2010 following multiple calls to the Suffolk County Police Department and the town's 311 phone service that people were openly drinking in front of convenience stores.

The new law sets the blood alcohol content level for "intoxication" at .08 percent – the same state limit for legally driving a car.