Three days after a drunken driver struck two pedestrians in the West 7th area, Fort Worth approved a contract aimed at strengthening safety in the city’s entertainment districts.
Fort Worth City Council agreed to spend $148,200 on a 12-month contract with Safe Night LLC.The organization will assess the safety of the city’s four entertainment districts, offer recommendations and help the city implement them.
The city also recently approved a $315,000 agreement with Block by Block to employ ambassadors in the West 7th area. Block by Block runs a similar program in downtown Fort Worth.
The assessment will include downtown, Near Southside, West 7th Street and Stockyards. Safe Night will gather and analyze data, prepare an accreditation program for businesses, and help the city or program leader implement their recommendations and strategies.
The assessment will also include an analysis of hot spots within the entertainment districts, or locations of a lot of illegal activity. Safe Night will also provide training for officials, residents and businesses.
“We’re shifting the city toward a management model that values prevention and intervention over enforcement,” said Dimitrios Mastoras, co-founder and executive vice president of Safe Night LLC. “That’s really what we’re after here, is to have a safer business, for the business to thrive and make more money and then, collectively, the area is more economically viable.”
The city is also expecting businesses and residents to invest in improving safety in the district. Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa previously told the Report that, although the city is leading the study, it expects buy-in from businessesand nonprofit partners.
Safe Night did similar work in Dallas, Toronto and Norfolk, Virginia. Mastoras first used an accreditation model for hospitality businesses while working as nightlife director in Arlington County, Virginia. The program there led to a drop in instances of impaired driving, assaults, violence and aggravated assault, he said.
Bars, restaurants and venues can receive training through Safe Night’s accreditation model, raising operating standards and creating consistent policies among bars and restaurants in the area. Training examples include active bystander and responsible alcohol training.
“That’s a lot to ask of a business, but the other side of this is, they’re going to have reduced liability and people are going to feel safer,” Mastoras said.
Nine organizations from the city’s four entertainment districts will fund the assessment. The city expects to finalize and execute a contract with Safe Night in February.
Who is funding the public safety assessment?
Crime Control & Prevention District: $49,100
Public Events Department/Culture & Tourism Fund: $49,100
Downtown Fort Worth Inc.: $10,000
Fort Worth Heritage Development LLC: $10,000
Near Southside Inc.: $10,000
Cultural District Alliance: $2,500
Artisan Circle: $2,500
West 7th Restaurant & Bar Association: $5,000
Visit Fort Worth: $10,000
An 18-member steering committee interviewed Safe Night LLC and the Responsible Hospitality Institute in December after the two teams toured the entertainment districts. Another group of residents who live near the districts also had a say in the final decision. Safe Night was the steering committee’s choice to conduct the assessment.
All the ingredients are there for success in Fort Worth, Mastoras said. The city, business owners and residents all seem committed to a substantial change in the entertainment districts.
“Models like ours take a lot of time investment,” Mastoras said. “These aren’t tips and tricks. We’re bringing a very robust model to the city to manage a lot of complex problems.”
Rachel Behrndt is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at rachel.behrndt@fortworthreport.org or via X.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.