NORFOLK, Va. — Efforts are ramping up to make your next night out in Downtown Norfolk safer.
Consultants with the firm Safe Night, LLC are working with Downtown Norfolk bars and restaurants on a safety accreditation program.
Samantha McNamara, a program manager at Safe Night, LLC, said so far, she's talked to 15 Downtown Norfolk businesses about the program.
But, she doesn't want to stop there. McNamara hopes to involve every business that serves alcohol in Downtown Norfolk.
The program is called "Gold Bar."
“It’s really just building that relationship, saying, ‘Hey, we’re here to help you. We’re here to start this program. Let’s get going together,’” McNamara said.
McNamara said the first step for businesses to get Gold Bar accreditation is to have certain safety policies in the employee handbook.
“Anything from not serving under 21 to having an incident reporting system,” McNamara explained.
The next step is online training, where participating businesses will learn skills from de-escalation techniques to fake ID detections.
The program comes more than a year after a string of violence swept through the downtown area.
“It’s been over a year since we’ve really had a lot of the shakeup downtown. You know, downtown is definitely significantly safer,” said Baxter Simmons, owner of Baxter's Sports Lounge.
Simmons was one of a few restaurant owners involved in the Gold Bar's pilot program. He hopes it will unify downtown.
“Get everybody on the same page, doing the same things,” he said.
McNamara said once businesses complete the program, they’ll get a window decal, letting people know they’re Gold Bar accredited.
It’s something Simmons thinks will go a long way.
“…People that have questions about safety or things like that, they will look for that decal. They’ll want to see, ‘Hey, this is somebody that’s trying to do the right thing and is trying to participate,’” Simmons said.
Norfolk isn’t the only city working with Safe Night, LLC. McNamara said Dallas and Arlington have launched similar programs.
McNamara said some businesses should have their Gold Bar accreditation in the next few weeks.