Editorial: Scantily clad baristas fall below police priority list

One way to spot a suspect ordinance is whether the city will be better off if it is enacted but not enforced.

Three Spokane mothers urged the Spokane City Council to place on the ballot a proposed ordinance that delineates how much clothing people must wear in public. The target is so-called bikini baristas who sometimes wear less than that. Instead, the council decided the trio must take the traditional step of gathering signatures first.

To qualify for the 2015 fall ballot, they will need to gather 2,477 signatures. For an earlier vote, they’ll need 7,431.

The council debated this issue last October, before deciding against an ordinance. Supporters acknowledged that enforcement wouldn’t be a high priority because the police have their hands full with more serious crimes.

The desired ordinance would be modeled on one passed by the Spokane Valley City Council in November. That city hall was dealing with an espresso stand just two doors down that was advertising “topless” Tuesdays and Thursdays. On those days, baristas wore only G-strings and pasties.

Under the Valley ordinance, it’s a misdemeanor to expose more than half a breast and any part of a female nipple or areola. Exposure parameters for genitals and rear ends are also included.

Police officers packing rulers won’t be dispatched to conduct emphasis patrols. Let’s hope not anyway, because law enforcement needs to focus on home burglaries and vehicle thefts. In 2012, Spokane’s property crime rate was tops among Washington cities with more than 100,000 residents. In crimes per police officer, the city easily leads the state.

These dubious figures have sparked efforts to improve public safety before a high-crime reputation becomes entrenched. The city is in the process of hiring 25 new police officers, but that’s still 75 fewer than Tacoma, which has nearly the same population. Those officers are urgently needed to stop thieves, not baristas serving up too much skin.

It’s certainly sad that the Northwest is home to a growing number of risqué espresso stands. An article in Sunday’s Wall Street Journal ensures that this notoriety will spread, though most of the businesses are on the West Side. Sarah Birnel, the owner of the espresso stand that sparked Spokane Valley’s ordinance, told the Journal, “We’re not wearing much more now.”

But getting a lot of free publicity, thank you very much.

We sympathize with parents who don’t want their children exposed to adult-themed businesses of any kind. Taking an alternate route to avoid the relatively few R-rated coffee stands might be an inconvenience, but many Spokane citizens can testify to the far greater irritation caused by the pettiest of crimes the police cannot respond to now.

The real adults will be adults, and steer clear of these establishments.