04-02-03 Health & Public Safety - Laserfiche WebLink

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Health and Public Safety Committee April 2, 2003 Page 4 Deputy Prosecutor Frank Schaffer noted that "an ounce of prevention results in a pound of cure" if reasonable regulations are followed. He noted that based on his observations, police officers need to be deployed in other areas of the city, especially during the midnight hours. He noted that the proposed regulations should benefit the owners. Deputy Prosecutor Ken Cotter noted that he has ridden with South Bend police officers. He noted that there is a growing concern of dealing with large groups of people at the same time. The concerns are beyond what he has seen in times past, and that the mob mentality must be addressed. More and better trained security is one way of addressing these safety concerns, since there are real dangers. He concluded his remarks by stating he supports the proposed ordinance. City Attorney Charles Leone stated that he was speaking on behalf of the City Administration and the City Attorney's Office in support of the proposed ordinance. Ne noted that the basic training provisions of servers and security personnel would provide tools for addressing potential dangerous situations. He noted that there are growing concerns when the downtown establishments are drawing on so many police resources at the same time. He noted that this is a common problem which working with the owners and the police can be addressed. He noted that there is a need for good strategies and with the communications required by the ordinance new strategies could be advanced. He noted that he would like to offer some proposals to "tweak" the proposed ordinance with regard to definitions and would suggest including assessments with regard to the required reporting. Council Member Kelly noted that he was aware that there were some problems in the downtown area, but was not aware of the enormity of them. He then opened the floor to comments from the public. Mr. Chuck Hamonn of The Library then introduced his wife and noted that they are the new owners of this establishment which is located at 113 E. Wayne Street, not west Wayne Street as noted by the Police Chief. He stated that he believes it is unfair to "lump all four bars into one category", noting that his establishment does not have the problems that the others have. He questioned the 28 service calls which the Police Chief contends were dispatched to his establishment, and requested to see the evidence. He noted that his patrons leave at 1 am or 2 am, with the only problem being that the doors are block to the garage. He has 1-3 officers inside,plus undercover personnel inside and stated that they "run a good ship". Their total occupancy is 203. He noted that the students come in cabs and leave in cabs, he stated that he believes the regulations are totally unfair. He noted that he is a retired police officer and is aware of the problems. Council Member Kelly noted that this is a discussion period and that he wants to be fair to everyone so that the entire city can be protected. Mr. Ray Kasperski, the Manager of Heartland works for Ala Carte and has the Chicago Steak House at 222 S. Michigan. He inquired whether Council Member Aranowski has been downtown in the late evening hours. He invited Council Member Aranowski to come down Saturday night so that he could give him a tour and see the types of security his establishment has in place. He noted that they have between 9-13 security personnel include management personnel. They hire off-duty South Bend police officers to work the front door. He noted that the college kids come in cabs. They have written management policies, affidavits, etc. in place. He then showed dozens of fake IDs which his security personnel have confiscated from individuals trying to get into Heartland. He noted that he has 30 years of experience in various nightclubs. He is against anything that has