Town Clamps Down on Dance Club
Partying just got more difficult in Provo. Not that it was easy before.
Provo, home to Brigham Young University and 30,000 Mormon students, has only one dance club, and it is smoke- and alcohol-free. Next month, a new ordinance will require Club Omni to install surveillance cameras, metal detectors and security guards.
“We’ve had problems at these kind of dances. Most cases it’s parking lot drinking and drugs,” said City Councilman Paul Warner. “If we have a camera there they are less likely to try and go in.”
The ordinance applies not only to Club Omni but also to organizers of dance parties open to the public--even those held in private homes. Violators can get up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Many BYU students say they support the ordinance. “I think surveillance cameras are OK because they will pick up drinking, smoking and drugs and spot the person who is doing it,” said Charity Harrison, a BYU senior.
The university is owned by the Mormon Church; all students must sign a pledge against using alcohol or tobacco.
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