Houston ? In a state where distances were once measured not in miles but in six-packs, a systematic crackdown on public drunkenness in bars has turned into a Texas-size headache.

For months, undercover agents with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission have been scouting bars and arresting or issuing citations to people who were fall-down drunk. The program, designed to cut down on drunken driving, was little noticed until March when – during a sweep of Dallas-area bars – two people were arrested for public intoxication at their hotel.

The incident spurred scores of Texans to ask state legislators why a person might be jailed for drinking in a licensed bar if he or she has no plans to drive. Convention boards and chambers of commerce, alarmed the program could drive away tourists and hurt the economy, prepared to do battle.

As criticism mounted, the commission refused to halt the surveillance. But on Wednesday, it announced the program had been suspended, at least until a state legislative committee hearing on the matter Monday.

The alcohol commission has been conducting the stings since 2001, but began intensifying its efforts last fall after getting additional funding from the Texas Legislature to hire more than 100 new employees.

The operation focuses on people who have obviously had too much to drink and the bartenders who continue to serve them. In the six months ending in February, the commission issued 2,281 arrests or citations for public intoxication, for continuing to serve an intoxicated person and for serving those who are underage. That represents a 95 percent increase over the same period the previous year.