• Staggered Closing Times

  To decrease the unruly and wild crowds that would form at bar closing times they have staggered bar closing times so that not everybody floods into the street all at once.

• Designated Driver Stands

  To encourage “safe rides” they have created one spot for all taxis, Uber, Lyft, and personal designated drivers. This also promotes a safer environment for those walking around and creates a much more orderly scene.

• Lighting and Landscape in the Alleys

  To reduce the opportunity for crime they invested resources into making the most dangerous streets and alleys well-lit and nicely landscaped.

• Drug Testing Strips for Drinks

  The police department worked with bars to provide testing strips for date rape drugs. They are given out to bartenders and customers alike, asking them to test their drinks for the presence of drugs.

Policies, investments and apps can help to curtail the dangerous consequences of substance abuse according to information shared at the 2017 International Town & Gown Association conference in Eugene, Oregon.

KSU Student Body President Jack Ayers was among the delegation from Manhattan that attended the conference and he visited our September MARPC membership meeting to report on some of the most interesting strategies and resources.

In a session about alcohol use at sporting events, the presenters indicated that policy changes to allow alcohol sales within the stadium provided some evidence of increased safety and decreased citations.  In a different session, the City of San Marcos, Texas shared how minor investments in lighting and landscape provided major benefits by reducing crime.  Mr. Ayers also reported about a mobile app that has been developed to allow users to create groups in which a member of the group could easily send out a call for help that includes the user’s location, ask for a ride, or ask for other assistance all with the click of one button, eliminating the need to make a phone call or send a text message.  The full report will be considered by MARPC’s Strategic Planning committee.