FORT WORTH, Texas — A quiet Wednesday evening in the Fort Worth Stockyards was a far cry from the large weekend crowds.
Craig Copeland, who has owned the Lil’ Red’s Longhorn Saloon on West Exchange Avenue for 13 years, enjoyed the quiet weekday ahead of the busy weekend.
“Friday and Saturday night, it’s like Mardi Gras,” Copeland said.
He said he has become increasingly concerned about the area’s large crowds mixed with traffic issues, fearing someone will get hurt.
“It’s terrifying. Something needs to be done. I’m not sure what it is,” Copeland said. “I want people to come here. This is an area that is so true to my heart.”
Tuesday night, Fort Worth City Council agreed to spend $148,000 on a 12-month contract with Safe Night LLC, an organization tasked with assessing the safety of the city’s four entertainment districts, including downtown, Near Southside, West 7th Street, and the Stockyards.
Safe Night LLC has done similar work in Dallas, Toronto, and Norfolk, Virginia.
Additionally, the city recently approved a $315,000 agreement with Block by Block, a move that will employ ambassadors in the West 7th area.
Over the weekend, a suspected drunk driver in the West 7th area hit two pedestrians and another vehicle during a police chase.
During the assessment, Safe Night LLC will gather and analyze data. From there, it will prepare an accreditation program for businesses in the four areas. The organization will teach city agencies a relationship-based policing model approach.
Safe Night LLC will help the city implement its recommendations and strategies to achieve a long-term safety plan centered on prevention.
The assessment will include an analysis of hot spots for crime and violence in each entertainment district.
Dimitrios Mastoras, Co-founder and Executive Vice President of Safe Night LLC said the goal is to shift the city toward a management model that values prevention and intervention over enforcement.
“This is where the beginning of problem-solving starts, is understanding what’s going on and why,” Mastoras said. “You can’t eliminate violence from these types of districts, but at the end of the day, you can reduce the amount of violence that happens.”
Fred Barnett, owner of The Thirsty Armadillo and PR’s Saloon in the Stockyards is optimistic the assessment will lead to safety improvements in the city’s entertainment districts.
“If it could make the difference in saving one life, that would be worth the time and effort put into something like that,” Barnett said.
Barnett went on to say homelessness and loitering have created safety issues in the Stockyards.
“Anything that we can do to improve public safety, I’m a huge fan,” Barnett said. “Crime is not good for business.”
Mastoras said after the assessment is complete and recommendations are made, it usually takes several years to see results.