It's no longer Prohibition, so bouncers aren't supposed to alert everybody to cheese it when coppers show up

A Brookline Avenue bar say it's fired its security firm after an April incident in which two plainclothes Boston police detectives showed up for a snap inspection and one of the security workers got on the radio to announce a "Code Blue."

Joe Devlin, attorney for the Yard House, told the Boston Licensing Board this morning that the bar didn't know the company had a policy to broadcast the presence of police until then. He said the bar is still looking for a new firm that can both handle security for the sort of large crowds the Yard House can get - the old firm is largely made of up ex-military - and be sensitive to hospitality concerns, not to mention local laws, which prohibit such broadcasts.

Sgt. Det. Robert Mulvey said he was surprised when he arrived on April 25 for the unscheduled inspection, announced himself to a bouncer at the door and the guy got on his walkie-talkie to let everybody in the joint know the law was present - which defeats the purpose of a surprise inspection and is a violation of Boston licensing rules. Devlin agreed although he said the purpose of the call was to get workers ready to find copies of licenses and other paperwork the detectives might have needed.

Mulvey said he was told this is how the company does things down in Providence. "Well, this isn't Providence," Mulvey said.

The board decides Thursday whether the infraction merits any sort of punishment.