Fargo police report notes delayed assault allegation at liquor establishment, vows tighter reporting

During the liquor control meeting the Fargo police department summarized its monthly report and flagged one additional incident that did not appear in the standard report: a delayed allegation that a staff member assaulted a customer at a liquor establishment. The department said the report came through a hospital and officers are attempting to obtain video and witness statements.

"There is one additional incident from this reporting period… an alleged assault by a staff member on a customer," a police representative told the panel and said investigators are seeking video and statements to proceed with an inquiry.

Police staff acknowledged a procedural gap in handling delayed reports. The department said it has revised its process so delayed reports tied to liquor establishments will be captured on the liquor-establishment form and routed to lieutenant review to ensure the incidents are logged and investigated. "That's one thing we've really honed in with the officers… those now will go to Lieutenant Shauna so he can review them and make sure we're capturing all those incidents that are happening at liquor establishments," the representative said.

The police representative also summarized incident counts for the reporting period and said management cooperation was noted in most cases; the department recorded an uptick in incidents from January to February. No charges or final investigative conclusions were noted on the record during the meeting.

The panel accepted the report without additional action; the meeting then adjourned at roughly 2:00 p.m.