New proposals to make Old Town safer, cut excess police calls

Wichita police and the city attorney’s office are proposing new rules to expand an ongoing crime crackdown in Old Town and make property owners throughout the city pay for excessive police responses to their buildings.

The proposals were presented to the Wichita City Council in a workshop meeting Tuesday.

In Old Town, police are looking to build on a series of security measures taken since 2012 after a shooting, fights and other violent incidents shook up the downtown bar and club scene.

The situation is getting better, said police Capt. Jose Salcido. For example, a three-month comparison showed aggravated assaults are down by 50 percent compared with last year, he said.

“I would say it’s safer and we’re continuing to move forward,” Salcido said.

The reduction came after a concerted effort to reduce lawlessness through requiring clubs to use more off-duty police officers providing security, a partnership with the Wichita Fire Department to prevent overcrowding of clubs, improved outdoor lighting and expanded use of ID scanners to keep people who have been banned from sneaking into the bars.

But there’s more to be done, according to Salcido and City Attorney Jennifer Magana.

On Tuesday, they briefed the City Council on a proposed ordinance that would put new requirements on licensing for bars and clubs and increase penalties for miscreants.

Among the proposed changes:

▪  Hours – Music would have to stop 30 minutes before closing time.

▪  Safety plans – Must include detailed procedures for the number and location of security personnel, handling of criminal incidents and emergencies, crowd-size management and maintaining order outside the club.

▪  License suspension, denial and nonrenewal – Licenses could be taken if the club is the site of three or more unreported criminal nuisance violations in a 12-month period, or if the licensee is charged with any felony. In lieu of license revocation, the police chief could order additional security measures, and owners could appeal adverse actions to the City Council.

▪  Fee increase – License fee to rise from $400 to $1,000.

▪  Minors – No one under 21 allowed after midnight in Old Town clubs.

In a related matter, Police Chief Gordon Ramsay is sponsoring an ordinance to crack down on businesses and even homes that require excessively frequent police responses.

Ramsay said the Falcon Point apartment building on South Hydraulic drew 244 police calls through Aug. 15 this year and the Water’s Edge apartments on West Central drew 209. Police responded to the Mark 8 Motel on North Broadway 193 times.

While all the calls aren’t directly related to operation of the properties – for example, traffic accidents and loitering complaints are counted – the excess calls are a drain on police resources and many could be prevented through more attentive management, Ramsay said.

“We don’t have a tool to hold the landlords responsible when we are continually responding over and over again,” Ramsay said. “Our police officers have really become, from law enforcers and peacekeepers, now I find that another title is property managers.”

He proposed a “special security assignment charge” that could be levied after the third preventable offense in a year, if the property owner is contacted by police and refuses to take action to abate repeated problems.

The fine would pay the salaries of police officers and emergency medical personnel for time they spend responding to repeated incidents at problem locations.

No landlords could be jailed under the proposed ordinance, Ramsay said. The goal is to get property owners to take care of the problems and they won’t be held accountable for crime on their property if they cooperate with police recommendations, he said.

Certain types of violations would be excluded from the penalty, for example domestic violence complaints, because police don’t want to discourage victims from coming forward, Ramsay said.

Police bureau commanders would begin the civil fine process, and the property owners could appeal the fine to the police chief. The final draft could also include appeal to the City Council.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "New proposals to make Old Town safer, cut excess police calls."