Dallas event promoters must register with city, provide safety plans

A new Dallas ordinance will require organizers of large events to present a safety plan to the city in advance.

Why it matters: The unanimously approved change to the city code is another example of City Council members' support of Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia and his crime reduction efforts.

Flashback: Earlier this year, the council approved an ordinance requiring sexually oriented businesses to close at 2am, but the city remains in a legal battle to enforce the rule.

Driving the news: Garcia requested city leaders adopt a "commercial promoter program" after mass shootings at two separate large events in the spring that left two people dead.

What happened: City staff hosted five public input meetings and council committees were briefed on the ordinance twice before the council voted on the measure Wednesday.

Details: The ordinance requires promoters to register with the city and provide a safety plan for their events. The organizer will be responsible for costs related to any emergency response.

• These events could include concerts, dance shows or performances where admission is paid.
• Nonprofits are exempt from the new rule.

What they're saying: "I appreciate the trust you have in this police department," Garcia told council members during one of the first briefings on the ordinance. "We would not have come before you if this was not urgent."

• Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called the new requirements a "tool to make our city safer."

The other side: Opponents sent a letter to city officials saying the ordinance will negatively affect the city's vibrancy, per the DMN.

• "Passing this ordinance in such a short time frame is inequitable and unfair to the hundreds of curators like us and would-be curators who would undoubtedly be blindsided by this ordinance during one of live event production's busiest seasons in recent years," the group wrote.

What's next: Fines will not be enforced for 60 days, giving city staff time to educate the public on the new process.

• The promoter registration will be available online beginning Monday.