CSPD chief host meeting Northgate business, to address the concerns of bar owners

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – College Station Police Chief Billy Coe is scheduled to meet with concerned Northgate bar and business owners Wednesday night.

The meeting comes after the College Station City Council received a presentation from Chief Couch in late August expressing concerns about crime and public safety in the Northgate District.

During his presentation, Chief Couch shared crime data and call logs collected over the past three years. He said residents and licensed bars in Northgate contributed to crime in the town.

A mainstay at the event is the 31 bars in the Northgate district, which at peak times bring in more than 10,000 people, increasing the number of calls for service and crime in the area.

According to a department release, law enforcement responded to more than 10,000 calls in 2021 in the Northgate Entertainment District, which includes the city’s equally populated areas of Century Square, Post Oak Mall and University Drive East.

Of the 10,920 calls that CSPD responded to, more than 10,000 occurred at night, primarily when bars are occupied. The data shows that calls for service resulted in 473 arrests in 2021. CSPD expects the number of arrests in Northgate to exceed 500 this year.

“The volume of calls is increasing, the types of calls are getting worse and more dangerous,” Koch said. “We feel that we need to make some changes in that area to regain security and put some strategies in place for some long-term planning.”

Northgate business owners have previously expressed concerns about the approach.

“I think it’s a one-sided approach to the bars in Northgate,” said Barry Ivins, owner of the Corner Bar and Rooftop Grill.

Related to the bar-specific changes, Major Couch is proposing a rule that would require cameras in bars, remove outdoor speakers and takeout boxes, and check patrons for firearms upon entering bars. He said these changes will help reduce the pressure on officers patrolling the area.

Wednesday’s meeting lasted more than three hours. The business owners say the discussions were engaging.

“It’s the same thing this time, maybe the last call thing that wasn’t discussed before has been added. I have only been working here as a manager for three years. I’ve been following them for about five. It’s the same over and over again. I’m hoping to see some changes in the traffic flow, but it’s just the same things that have been done for the past five years,” said Katie Falkenberry, Logie On Campus General Manager. “

“He briefly discussed changing Last Call,” Faulkenberry said. “Everybody in that room, myself included, was very much against it.”

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