BROOKFIELD – It’s an exclusive I-Team investigation: the I-Team discovered police calls to a troubled children’s restaurant nearly disappeared!

We're talking about the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Brookfield.

In recent years, the popular children's restaurant has been the scene of numerous alcohol related fights, thefts and domestic arguments.

Now that the beer has stopped, so, apparently have the problems.

Chuck E. Cheese’s slogan: “where a kid can be a kid.”

Until recently, a kid could be in real danger at the Brookfield location.

For the first several years that the restaurant was open, beer was served. Right next to kiddie birthday parties and video games were adults, oftentimes intoxicated, pounding beers.

That led to real problems: underage drinking, fights, threats to managers, thefts, battery, all inside the kids’ hangout.

TODAY’S TMJ4’s John Mercure: “Has alcohol in the past played a role with some of the problems there?”

“I believe some of the problems have been related to that,” Town of Brookfield Police Officer Dave Maronischen said.

There were real problems. In 2005, police were called to the restaurant 43 times. In 2006, they were called 82 times. In 2007, there were 57 calls, and in the first six months of this year, there were 55 calls.

“Alcohol is often a component that leads to disorderly behavior and us getting called to help rectify the situation,” Officer Maronischen said.

In June this year, under pressure from town leaders, the Chuck E. Cheese in Brookfield gave up their liquor license…and most of the problems seemed to go away.

In the three months prior to giving up their license, there were 20 police calls.

In the three months since, there have been just seven calls.

It doesn’t surprise Keri Kinnard who heads up Mothers Against Drunk Driving Wisconsin.

“We consistently see that alcohol is linked to crime. That's the fact. That's the statistic. Take away the alcohol, you're going reduce the crime,” Kinnard said.

Six Chuck E. Cheese restaurants in Wisconsin continue to serve beer.

That concerns Kinnard.

“It’s just sad that we as a society in Wisconsin can't celebrate anything like a kid's birthday without alcohol being involved,” Kinnard said.

Two years ago the Chuck E. Cheese on Milwaukee’s south side also gave up its liquor license after repeated police calls.

Things there have also settled down since the license surrender.