Hospitality Zone Safety

This plenary conversation will focus on how communities can maximize outcomes by adopting proactive coordination with other key safety stakeholders.

Kathie Durbin Division Chief, Licensure, Regulation and Education Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control	Jean Homza Bar Manager Community Liaison 930 Club	Facilitator Elizabeth Jackson President The Urban Agenda	Frank LaTorre Director of Public Space Providence Downtown Improvement District	Kathryn Graham Research Scientist Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Author Raising the Bar
	Discussion Topics
Russell Kolins President Russell Kolins Associates	Application of community policing practices to high-intensity hospitality zones Ways to effectively address at-risk businesses through inter-agency partnerships within city government Proactive initiatives and early interventions to prevent escalation of problems Coordination of law enforcement with private security teams Effective training for management, security and service staff within establishments Integrating customer service, proactive security presence and consistent eyes on the street to restore positive public perceptions of safety			Edwin Book Captain Gainesville Police Department
Chris Ryan President Lodge Management				John Thayer Public Safety and Security Consultant Retired Lieutenant Santa Barbara Police Department

The success of active hospitality zones often results in other challenges: more crowds on the street, unruly behavior and risky driving. The need to maintain a balance between vitality and safety is never greater than when high-intensity nightlife intersects with residential housing and daytime office and retail uses in dense, mixed-use districts. The concentration of public safety impacts, particularly at bar closing time, presents a significant drain to city services. .

Safe hospitality zones require multiple, interconnected elements that form a collective whole, including:

• Greater communication and partnership among city government and private security teams.
• Education and training opportunities for new and existing business owners.
• Positive reinforcement when law enforcement and business owners successfully reduce safety impacts.
• Coordinated inter-agency response to guarantee enforcement of regulatory violations for at-risk businesses.
• Shared sense of accountability among patrons and late-night businesses.
• Techniques for increasing patron responsibility