Enigma Cafe Back In Bar Business

The suspension of the Enigma Cafe liquor permit is over. But with a bevy load of conditions.

from the press release:

HARTFORD, March 19 � Consumer Protection�Commissioner�Jerry Farrell, Jr. lifted his summary suspension of the liquor permit of Enigma Caf�-Lounge in Norwalk today, cautioning that�its permittee must remain in�total and absolute compliance with a detailed written agreement in order to avoid a further suspension.

“We need to insure that, going forward, Enigma will be a place where the public can go and not put their health and safety in jeopardy,” Farrell said.� “Under an agreement reached on March 1st, we will hold�permittee�Gus Zografides��directly responsible for implementing a host of very strong safety and security measures�. �But, I must emphatically state that I will not hesitate to again suspend the permit and take whatever measures legally available, to protect public health, safety, or welfare if the agreement is violated in any way,”��he �said.

Farrell, who serves as chairman of the Liquor Control Commission in his position as Consumer Protection Commissioner, reported that recent meetings among Liquor Control staff, representatives of the Norwalk Police Department and Mr. Zografides�have addressed the numerous safety and security issues that resulted in the January 22, 2010 summary suspension of Enigma’s cafe liquor permit.

In the agreement, cafe Permittee Gus Zografides and Van Zant Caf� LLC, d/b/a Enigma Caf�-Lounge agreed to numerous terms and conditions including the following:

������� At all times Enigma is open for business on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for the first 60 days, and any other day within the first 60 days when a specific event is promoted or advertised to be held at Enigma, the cafe will� hire security personnel to act as security at all points of entry and exit of the permit premises.

• The nightclub�will�have two (2) metal detecting wands available for use at any and all points of entrance to the permit premises.
• All members of the security staff��will�wear matching clothing��with�the word “SECURITY” printed in large letters across the back of their outerwear so as to clearly and conspicuously identify themselves as members of the security staff.
• Enigma agreed to comply with all fire safety regulations that the Fire Marshall determines as being the responsibility of the bar, specifically the installation of an audible alarm mechanism for the rear door of the premises.
• Enigma�will�conduct criminal history checks on all current and prospective employees who will be working at the club, and, if such criminal history includes conviction of a crime, Enigma will determine their employment status after considering (1) the nature of the crime and its relationship to the job for which the person has applied; (2) information pertaining to the degree of rehabilitation of the convicted person; and (3) the time elapsed since the conviction or release.
• The nightclub�will�maintain an employment file for each employee consisting of the employee’s application for employment, criminal history, copy of photo identification, and any other records pertinent to their employment.
• Enigma agreed to maintain, within the permit premises, 10 wide-angle surveillance cameras with a 15-day retrievable memory and to maintain the most current 15 days of video in the memory. The cameras and recorder will be maintained in operating condition at all times and will record during all hours that the premises is open for business to the public. Recordings will be available to the Norwalk Police Department for investigative and evidentiary purposes upon reasonable request, so long as the requested recording(s) has not been recorded over by the time of the request.

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Enigma, page 2

Department of Consumer Protection, 3/19/10

• Enigma�will�post signs at all entrances of the premises stating that the video surveillance equipment is in use at all times the permit premises is open for business. The sign shall be conspicuous and in plain view.
• All full- and part-time employees of the nightclub who will sell, deliver, or otherwise provide alcoholic beverages to patrons will undergo Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) within thirty (30) days of reopening.� All full- and part-time employees of the nightclub who are hired after the reopening of the permit premises to sell, deliver, or otherwise provide alcoholic beverages to patrons and who are not TIPS certified,�will�undergo TIPS training within thirty (30) days of hire.
• Enigma agreed to establish dress code standards at the premises, barring do-rags, loose clothing, any clothing with gang insignias, and other clothing considered inappropriate by its security staff.
• Enigma agreed that all employees, promoters, consultants, and managers working at the nightclub shall cooperate with local police and fire officials regarding any lawful request or demand.
• Enigma agreed to obtain and use a transaction scan device in an effort to deter underage access to the bar.
• Enigma will maintain liability insurance policy on their operations.
• Enigma�will�either remove or keep the drape tied back from the identified “VIP” room of the bar so as to provide� �a clear and unobstructed viewing of such room.
• After six (6) months of operating under the terms of this agreement, Enigma may petition the Commissioner to review any or all of the provisions of this agreement for possible modification or termination.

Following the signed agreement, both the Norwalk Police and Liquor Control Division conducted on-site inspections to verify that the conditions were complied with by Enigma.

“My decision to summarily suspend Enigma’s permit was based on a report and referral from�Chief Rilling of�the Norwalk Police Department, which indicated that on the evening of January 17th, Norwalk Police officers responded to a serious situation at Enigma and the immediately surrounding area,” Farrell said. “The report stated that�a fight that had started inside the club spilled outside the club, ultimately leaving one man lying in the street with stab wounds and gunshot wounds. According to police�reports,�several teenagers were in the premises at the time of the fight.”

“Such a dangerous disturbance, the presence of underage persons, and the lack of proper security within the premises put the public at risk and clearly demonstrated the need for better control by the permittee,” Farrell said.

“A public establishment that has a liquor license may not permit the conduct of its business to jeopardize public health and safety,” Farrell said. “In Norwalk that night, the safety and welfare of everyone present was endangered, as well as that of the responding officers and the other citizens in that city who may have needed police assistance.”

“I thank the Norwalk Police Department and my staff for their valuable input and advice in crafting this agreement, which Mr. Zografides, Enigma’s owner, pledges to uphold,” Farrell said. “With the lifting of the summary suspension, we remain intensely vigilant that the terms of the agreement are followed.”