Revere commission lifts Saturday police detail for Carnaval Latino for 90 days and extends probation for Lupita restaurant, with conditions

The Revere License Commission on an administrative motion removed a mandatory Revere Police Department detail for Carnaval Latino Restaurant for a 90-day trial period and extended the probationary period for Lupita Revere LLC for 90 days, both actions tied to public-safety conditions and monitoring.

Commissioners said the decisions balance public-safety concerns raised by police with improvements restaurant operators reported since earlier enforcement steps. Commissioner O'Cena moved the changes and the commission seconded and approved the motions.

Police testimony and commission context

Officer McLaughlin, who responded to the May incident that prompted the recent review, told commissioners: “That night, it was kind of out of control at best.” McLaughlin described patrons being “carried out by their friends,” people too intoxicated to use rideshares, and seeing patrons “drinking past 2AM” despite the closing rules. Lieutenant Maley and other Revere PD representatives noted recent logs showing fewer major incidents in the 60 days before the hearing but recommended continuing an officer detail because of public-safety risks in the large lot outside the establishments.

Manager responses and conditions

Julia Duarte Alarcon, identified in the record as the manager for Carnaval Latino, said the business had adopted the commission’s earlier directions: turning lights on at 1 a.m., stopping alcohol service at 1:30 a.m., and planning enhanced staff training. “We stopped serving alcohol… at 01:30, no more alcohol no matter who is it,” she said. Duarte also said the restaurant has a licensed private security company on site and that staff have completed or were scheduling TIPS (server training) certification.

In discussion the commission and Revere PD emphasized differences between private security inside a venue and a uniformed police presence in the parking lot. Revere PD recommended continuing officer presence in the lot because officers can prevent intoxicated patrons from driving and make arrests if needed; private security can enforce in-house rules but has limited authority in the public lot.

The commission’s rulings

- Carnaval Latino: The commission approved a motion to remove the mandatory Saturday police detail for a 90-day trial, contingent on the restaurant adding at least one additional private security officer for weekend nights and maintaining the other conditions discussed (TIPS-trained servers, lights on by 1 a.m., last alcohol service at 1:30 a.m., music cutoff at 1:30 a.m.). The commission recorded that if an incident occurs during the 90-day period the commission will immediately reimpose the police detail and may take further license sanctions.

- Lupita Revere LLC (Lupita Restaurant): The commission voted to extend Lupita’s probationary period by 90 days. Commissioners said Lupita must continue booking police detail when it hosts DJs or otherwise advertises events expected to draw larger crowds. The commission warned that future incidents could prompt reinstatement of details, limits on hours, or other sanctions.

Why it matters

Commissioners said both actions respond to a May report that prompted hearings and reflect improvements operators reported since then. The measures create a short-term monitoring window: reduced mandatory policing for Carnaval is a test of whether heightened private security and management changes produce the same public-safety outcomes previously achieved by police detail; Lupita remains on a probationary track so the commission can re-evaluate if new incidents occur.

What the businesses said going forward

Carnaval’s manager told the commission the business will increase on-site security staffing and enforce service limits. Lupita’s manager described continued bookings of police detail for Fridays and Saturdays and said the business will book detail officers for Sundays when it brings in DJs. Both operators acknowledged the financial burden of police details but agreed to the commission’s conditions and to call police immediately if new incidents arise.

Meeting context and next steps

The commission said staff will track police logs and incident reports during the 90-day windows and will reconvene earlier than scheduled if a public-safety incident occurs. If no incidents arise, the commission indicated it would remove the special detail requirement for Carnaval at the 90-day review; Lupita’s probationary status will also be reconsidered at that time.

Ending

The commission recorded the motions and adjourned other business; both measures were seconded and approved on voice votes. Revere PD and the commission stressed that public-safety priorities — preventing over-service and intoxicated drivers — will determine whether the temporary adjustments become permanent.