The Dallas Police Department presented a draft on how to prevent violence at large gatherings to a city council committee on Monday.
On March 19, ten people were hurt and one person was killed in a shooting at a party near Botham Jean Boulevard and 175; On April 3, 16 one person was killed and 17 were hurt in a shooting at a venue south of I-20 between Bonnie View and Lancaster Hutchins.
The department released the plan to the Dallas City Council Public Safety Committee.
"We want the City of Dallas to host as many wonderful, great entertainment events and venues as we possibly can," said Chairman Adam McGough. "We just want them to be safe."
The draft plan includes:
• Must register with the City as a Commercial Promoter
• Registration expires after two years.
• Registration fee is required.
• Safety Plan required – Promoted events must include an approved safety plan.
• General Safety Plan – Serves as the safety plan for promoted events at the venue specified in the plan.
• Must be signed by the commercial promoter, venue operator, and property owner.
• Event-Specific Safety Plan – Required when a venue does not have a General Safety plan on file or if a promoted event type deviates from the General Safety plan on file.
• May only serve as safety plan for promoted event specified by date, time, and location.
• Must be signed by commercial promoter, venue operator, and property owner.
• Safety Plan requirements are listed in the ordinance (description of event, expected attendance, crowd management, security management, medical & first aid, TABC information, etc.)
"The purpose of this ordinance is to establish standards for commercially promoted events that are not permitted events and to provide protection for attendees and the public," said Assistant Chief Mike Igo.
Igo says the plan is a draft, and the department will take input from the public and entertainment industry.
"We want to make sure we're not including church-type events, so we're still looking at some of the best practices not only across the state but across the country," Igo said.
Assistant City Attorney Bert Vandenberg says the draft was written to ensure smaller events and non-profits would not be included.
"You have to be commercially promoted; you have to be charging a fee. We have done everything we can to exclude any sort of family or church type of event," Vandenberg said. "Really, that was the biggest hurdle we encountered right away was how to narrow that universe."
The current plan is a draft. Another hearing is scheduled May 17.
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