PANAMA CITY — Officers’ off-duty work has not been without controversy.
In this case, though, it was the mere presence of an officer that became an issue recently, when a business in St. Andrews accused another of using off-duty police officers as an intimidation tool.
Yvette Pavone, owner of the Purple Grape at 1121 Beck Ave., said the patrol cruiser which has been stationed in a parking lot across the street for months had hurt business because the additional police presence caused a perception of being monitored.
“When we had police looking directly at our window, we could see our sales decline rapidly,” Pavone said. “Words were being used by our customers like, ‘intimidated,’ and ‘threatened.’ ”
Pavone said the police presence put about a $1,000 dent weekly in revenues.
The Captain’s Table, across the street at 1110 Beck Ave., hired police to watch over their parking lot, which is reserved for patrons of the restaurant.
Mitch Holman, owner of the Captain’s Table, said Purple Grape customers using his parking lot hurt his business because potential customers interpret the full parking lot to mean the restaurant is filled. He denied using police for any further means.
Holman argued Panama City had more of a role in the business feud than its commissioners were willing to recognize.
“When the city doesn’t provide parking, it doesn’t put businesses on an even playing field,” Holman said in an interview. “I’m getting punished for owning my own parking lot when it should be an asset to my business.”
Although police are present at the Captain’s Table Tuesdays through Saturdays, the two businesses have since met a compromise.
“Since we’ve come to an agreement, they move; we don’t have an issue at all,” Pavone said. “They’ve moved [the officer] closer to the Captain’s Table sign and we saw an immediate effect on our sales.”