Ready for ‘A Safe Night Out’
3 downtown businesses will take part in program aimed at reducing crime
NORFOLK — Downtown Norfolk leaders are testing a new way to engage businesses in an effort to make the entertainment district a safer place to have fun.
Three downtown businesses will be part of the beta phase of an accreditation model, designed in conjunction with an outside consultant, meant to strengthen the relationship between city regulators, police and the establishments that make the city’s nightlife what it is.
Amid a series of high-profile shootings that rocked the city’s nightlife community last summer, the Downtown Norfolk Council brought in Safe Night, a consulting firm co-founded by Jim and Molly Mastoras that helps cities implement a relationship-based policing model that prioritizes prevention of crime and other challenges to a healthy nightlife culture — instead of being reactive.
This, the founders say, allows localities to more effectively reduce crime without dedicating more resources to law enforcement.
The accreditation model — which the downtown council adapted from a base model provided by Safe Night — will consolidate the requirements from various city departments, Virginia ABC and others into a simplified roadmap of best practices to help businesses be successful, according to Mary Miller, president and CEO of the council.
The three businesses taking the first crack at implementing the accreditation model are Baxter’s, Brothers, and Legacy Restaurant and Lounge. Miller said they were chosen because they’re at different stages: Baxter’s is an established business, Brothers is relatively new and is in the process of moving to a new location, and Legacy is working to restore its image after a violent start last summer.
The downtown council is considering allowing more
businesses to join the beta program this spring, according to Miller. Long term, city leaders would like to expand “A Safe Night Out” and the still-unnamed accreditation model beyond the entertainment district.
Legacy reopened Feb. 10 after having its permit revoked in the aftermath of a quadruple shooting in August — just weeks after the club opened — that left a uniformed sheriff ’s deputy injured. The city issued Legacy a Zoning Certificate on Jan. 17 that allows them to operate as a restaurant with no alcohol sales, no entertainment and without being able to open late, according to city spokesperson Kelly Straub.
But Legacy hopes to resume alcohol sales. The owners applied for a conditional use permit to operate as a restaurant with alcohol sales for both on and off-premises consumption, still with no entertainment, and to be able to close at midnight rather than 10 p.m. as they currently do on Fridays and Saturdays.
The owners of Legacy are slated to appear March 23 before the Norfolk Planning Commission. Attempts to reach them for comment were unsuccessful.
Whether or not a business complies with Safe Night’s eventual guidelines or participates in this beta program will have no bearing on their permit applications, Straub said.
“The goal of the City’s partnership with the Downtown Norfolk Council and Safe Night LLC is to build relationships between municipal agencies, business owners and the community,” Paula Shea, the acting director of the planning department, said in a statement. “Involvement from all sides is imperative to improving safety and business operation standards while enhancing economic viability.”
The DNC chose to start with a beta phase to identify any of Safe Night’s recommendations that aren’t a perfect fit for the area ahead of the final rollout of Norfolk’s version of “A Safe Night Out,” according Miller.
The three businesses have been given a draft of the accreditation model, which they will provide feedback on as they work to incorporate them into day-to-day operations.
“They’ve got to write (a policy) in their own words and give it to us to review, we’ve got to make sure what they’ve written matches what’s in the guidelines,” Miller said, adding they’ll likely check in with businesses on a monthly basis for the first six months of the beta to see what challenges they’re running into in trying to implement the policies, and figuring out how the downtown council can help.
Baxter Simmons, owner of Baxter’s, said the beta is needed because what works in one market may not work in another due to different ordinances and realities on the ground.
“We want everybody in the downtown market that serves alcohol to participate so we know that everybody’s committed to being a safe establishment, that’s the important thing,” Simmons said.
Safe Night got its start in Arlington, where Jim Mastoras served as a master police officer for more han 20 years and where his wife, Molly, worked as a social worker with Child Protective Services. Molly Mastoras, a licensed professional counselor, developed the relationship-based approach that Jim Mastoras implemented in Arlington — which became the test case for work in Dallas and Norfolk.
Safe Night will hold a training for city departments and business leaders from March 21-23 to outline the concepts behind “A Safe Night Out.” Participants will leave with a two-year certification in Proactive Alliance and “A Safe Night Out,” according to Jim Mastoras.
Two to three weeks later, Safe Night will hold training for the staffs of the participating businesses aimed at giving them the ability to train their employees in simple terms, he added.
“The city agencies have been open and transparent, they wanted to hear (what we had to say) and tell us what they see as the issues going on, especially around downtown Norfolk and nightlife specifically, and taking all that in I get a general feeling of ‘we want answers and we’re searching for them,’ ” he said.