Cedar Rapids police, bar owners focus on downtown safety

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids police officers can regularly be found walking around the downtown in groups of two or three on weekends, stopping at bars to talk with staff, watch for any disturbances.

“We just like to have an interaction with the employees, make sure that people aren’t sneaking alcohol in, or bringing alcohol out,” said Cedar Rapids Police Sgt. Chris Collins, who was on patrol last weekend. “Obviously, we’re concerned with any sort of disturbances, or overly intoxicated people to where they may be unsafe for themselves or somebody else.”

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Collins said he believes the downtown is safe for the most part, but occasional large disturbances can draw a lot of attention, a few of which recently alarmed bar owners.

One incident, in which several people began fighting in the street and had to be separated by police, prompted Pub 217 on Third Street SE to temporarily reduce its Saturday evening hours in May.

More recently, on June 22, police say a man fired a gun into the air outside the Rock Bar American Grill, 219 Second Ave. SE, after he assaulted a woman in the bar and was confronted by two other patrons.

Kirby Patten, owner of the Rock Bar, said he was working that night and didn’t think the assault or shots fired happened in or near his bar, saying he wasn’t aware anything had happened until police stopped by to ask about it.

Cedar Rapids Police Chief David Dostal said it was an “isolated incident,” in which the man who was arrested knew the victim personally.

Overall, Patten said, he hasn’t seen any major issues with safety downtown.

“We're not even an ending bar. We're not busy late at night. We usually clear out at, like, 1 a.m.,” Patten said.

Some bar owners, though, think the weekend night atmosphere has shifted in the downtown since people started venturing out after the COVID-19 pandemic eased. This has created safety issues that some say discourage people from coming to the city’s center.

“It’s time we think about a comprehensive policing strategy that involves more than just the police — bar owners, downtown stakeholders and City Hall,” said City Council member Dale Todd, who represents District 3 encompassing downtown and who is chair of the council’s Public Safety and Youth Services Committee. “At the same time, we need those who come to the district to come for the right reasons.”

More arrests

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With input from bar owners, Dostal said police since late May or early June have increased downtown patrols and put in place other measures to manage or deter potential threats to public safety.

One result: More arrests have been made downtown in the past few weeks than during the same time period in 2023.

Between June 1 and June 21, 2023, 23 arrests were made in the downtown bar and restaurant district — from First Street and First Avenue SE to Fifth Street and Fifth Avenue SE.

This year, 32 arrests have been made in the same area, a 40 percent increase, according to police.

“I think a lot of that has to do with we’re having more of a presence down there,” Dostal said. “ … I wanted to get on that early so it doesn’t continue into the entire summer and into next year.”

‘Downtown problem’

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Justin Zehr, co-owner of the Fun Not Fancy restaurant group that owns Cliff’s, Bricks, Taco Gato and other area restaurants, said it seems the recent elevated police presence has improved downtown safety woes.

But he thinks the persistent challenges to attract downtown traffic are contributing to the problems plaguing downtown on weekend nights.

Cedar Rapids recently adopted a Downtown Vision Plan outlining a five-year guide to revitalizing the city center into a vibrant mixed-use district. As city officials and other local stakeholders seek to implement this plan, maintaining public safety will be key to drawing residents and visitors and in building on the connectivity from bustling surrounding districts like Kingston Village and the New Bohemia District.

“It’s not just that problem of people on Friday and Saturday nights,” Zehr said. “It’s also the people not coming back to work (in the downtown) and it’s the people not spending their money. We don’t have a weekend problem. We have a downtown problem.”

The Gazette requested records from the beginning of June 2023 through the end of May 2024 for all arrests that happened on Third Street SE between First and Eighth avenues and on Second Avenue SE between First and Fifth streets.

In that year, 204 arrests were made, resulting in 352 charges. The majority of arrests happened during the night and early morning, with 80 of the 204 happening between midnight and 2 a.m.

A few addresses appeared multiple times in the list of arrest locations, including the Hazzard County bar, with 27 arrests, and Cliff’s Dive Bar, with nine arrests. Many of the addresses for the arrests were less specific, listing only a block or a street corner where the arrest took place.

Police Officer Collins said the downtown bar district tends to be the busiest after midnight, until bars close at 2 a.m. Officers regularly patrol the downtown on foot on weekends, starting around 10 p.m. and ending after the bars close. On Friday nights, Dostal said, an investigative plainclothes unit works until 3 a.m.

Charges from downtown arrests between May 2023 and June 2024

There were 204 arrests from the beginning of June 2023 through the end of May 2024 on Third Street SE between First and Eighth avenues and on Second Avenue SE between First and Fifth streets. Those arrests resulted in the following 352 charges:

• Aggravated theft: 1
• Assault — general: 1
• Assault — place in fear of contact: 1
• Assault domestic abuse simple: 1
• Assault on persons in certain occupations: 2
• Assault on persons in certain occupations-intent of injury: 1
• Assault simple: 3
• Assault with injury (without intent): 4
• Burglary 3rd degree: 1
• Consumption of alcohol in public place: 6
• Criminal mischief 2nd degree ($1,500 to $10,000): 2
• Criminal mischief 3rd degree ($750 to $1,500): 2
• Criminal mischief 4th degree ($300 to $750): 1
• Criminal mischief 5th degree (up to $300): 1
• Disorderly conduct — fighting/violent behavior: 37
• Disorderly conduct — loud raucous noise: 2
• Disorderly conduct-obstruct streets/sidewalk/highway: 1
• Display of plates: 1
• Domestic abuse assault impeding flow of air/blood: 1
• Domestic abuse assault-injury or mental illness 1st off: 1
• Dominion/control of firearm/offensive weapon by felon: 2
• Driving while barred: 4
• Driving while license denied or revoked: 1
• Driving while license under suspension: 9
• Drug paraphernalia: 10
• Drug tax stamp: 1
• Employee supplying alcohol to person under legal age: 1
• Failure to appear: 23
• Failure to maintain safety belts, also wear (state): 1
• Warrants: 27
• Forgery: 1
• Fraudulent use of registration: 1
• Harassment — 3rd degree (communicate): 2
• Improper rear lamps: 3
• Insufficient number of headlights: 1
• Interference with official acts: 30
• Interference with official acts — bodily injury: 2
• Lighting device color and mounting: 1
• No driver’s license and failure to have license in possession (state): 1
• Obedience to traffic control device (state): 5
• Operating while intoxicated, 1st offense: 7
• Operating while intoxicated, 2nd offense: 8
• Pedestrian failing to use crosswalk (state): 1
• Pedestrian safety: 1
• Possession of controlled substance -- 1st offense (other scheduled substance): 4
• Possession of controlled substance — marijuana 1st offense: 11
• Possession of controlled substance — marijuana or meth: 5
• Possession of controlled substance — meth 1st offense: 1
• Possession of controlled substance -- 1st offense: 1
• Proof of insurance (fail to prove secured against liability): 4
• Provide false identification: 3
• Public exposure: 2
• Public intoxication: 71
• Public urination: 1
• Regulation of minors: 3
• Revocation of pretrial release: 2
• Revocation of probation: 5
• Sex offender-registration violation, 2nd or subsequent offense: 1
• Theft 1st degree — theft all other: 1
• Theft 5th degree — shoplifting: 7
• Theft 5th degree — theft all other: 3
• Trespass — 1st offense: 8
• Unauthorized use of credit card of less than $1,500: 1
• Unlawful possession of prescription drug: 3
• Unlawful use of driver’s license: 3
• Violation of no contact/protective order — contempt: 2
• When headlights required: 3
• Windshields and windows: 1

Downtown activity varies depending on the area, with bars like Big Grove Brewery and Pickle Palace drawing a more mature crowd, Dostal said.

Tim Kindl, co-owner of Fun Not Fancy, said the downtown needs more attractions that would draw the 30- to 50-year-old crowd to stem some of the nighttime problems.

“It’s tough to get them down here simply because the bigger companies aren’t working (downtown),” Kindl said. Without that daytime traffic, he and Zehr said people aren’t staying downtown as much for happy hours, dinners or late into the evening.

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Loitering, bouncers

Since at least last year, Dostal said, individuals have been coming downtown — particularly around the 200 block of Third Street SE — and loitering, often parking without being a patron of any establishment. Some conceal that they’re drinking outside, Dostal said, and “create problems with some patrons that were coming in and out of the bar.”

This culminated in the May 19 Pub 217 incident, which started when two women started fighting inside a business and then moved outside where one pepper-sprayed the other. Several other people got involved in the fight until police officers broke up the crowd using pepper spray. Multiple people were arrested.

Jason Nanke, co-owner of Pub 217, said people congregating outside of bars detracts from business as people “are taking advantage of partying in the streets.”

“I’m 50 (years old), and several of my friends are maybe not into the bar scene like they used to be, but even talking to them, they just don’t feel like it’s worth going to downtown to deal with any kind of issue that might pop up,” he said.

Zehr said Cliff’s now employs four bouncers to manage any issues within the bar and at the door later at night. That’s an increase from one or two bouncers when the bar first opened in the fall of 2020.

“When we first started, the crowd was a little older, and there was a little more variety of people and it started earlier,” Zehr said. Now, “it starts a little later, and it’s a bit of a rougher crowd. It’s changed downtown.”

Increasing the number of bouncers has helped, he said, but it costs money. Cliff’s also has changed the music playing late at night so it’s less likely to rile up bar patrons. And bouncers can’t crack down on behavior outside of the bars, where he said people gather and are “treating it like a street party.”

“Most of these are not paying customers, and they’re actually deterring money going into our restaurants,” Zehr said. “This is not a problem that’s created by the bars. It’s just people that are coming together, and they’re creating a problem, and they’re drinking their own alcohol.”

It’s important that bartenders have good relationships with police officers, he said, so police are ahead of potential threats and can manage situations that bouncers can’t. Having those relationships “deters so many problems,” Zehr said.

Collaboration

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Council member Todd said it’s not the city’s job “to babysit, but a comprehensive policing strategy for an entertainment district — which is what downtown is becoming at night — is long overdue.”

In calling for collaboration, Todd created an internal document outlining the role of police, bar owners, city officials and others to create a safer downtown district.

He wrote that effective tools to address issues include setting clear enforcement priorities, enforcement actions taken early in the evening to set the tone, regular proactive bar checks and making quick contacts of obvious, potential troublemakers when they arrive in the district.

“It doesn’t work unless people come out of their silos and decide to partner together,” Todd said. “The police can only do so much.”

No-parking zone

In response to these issues, the police department created a no-parking, tow-away zone from the corner of Second Avenue SE to Third Street SE from 9 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday. The signs previously had only barred parking between 2 and 6 a.m. daily.

Dostal said sergeants work directly with the officers patrolling downtown. They don’t do “heavy-handed patrol” but rather boost their presence in the area, especially around 2 a.m. when bars are closing Friday and Saturday nights.

Implementing those signs and increasing patrols seem to have alleviated some problems in the area, Dostal said, allowing Cedar Rapids police to adjust resources in other areas of the city.

“Safety downtown has always been paramount,” Dostal said.

Dostal agrees it takes collaboration to keep downtown safe, and bouncers should — and often do — alert law enforcement to any potential issues so Cedar Rapids police can respond effectively.

“If we see an issue, we’d like to address it because we want to keep businesses downtown,” Dostal said.

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Downtown as a destination

After the May incident, Pub 217 co-owner Nanke said he and the other owners thought it was “time for us to do our part” and cut hours until they felt safety improved for staff and guests. The pub is a popular late-night gathering spot for bargoers because the kitchen stays open past 10 p.m., the time when most other restaurants and bars stop serving food.

The Pub 217 co-owners met with Dostal and others, which Nanke said reassured them the police are “out there trying to make a difference.” The proactive patrols and no-parking signs gave them the confidence to restart normal weekend hours and stay open until 2 a.m.

Business is “slowly, slowly starting to come back — nothing like it was before,” he said. “My concern is for my guests and my staff, to have a downtown culture that’s warm and inviting for anybody. …

“I hope that people can give downtown another chance and hopefully more businesses start popping up. I’d love to see more retail, more bars and restaurants — make it a destination area again.”

Community Development Director Jennifer Pratt said a team of city officials and local stakeholders has begun meeting monthly to implement the approximately 70 items in the Downtown Vision Plan.

Over time, that will bring about changes like activating a portion of Third Street SE into a festival or flex street that promotes more pedestrian and bicyclist usage. The concept draws people to public streets that can be closed to vehicles or at least generate more foot traffic where businesses are concentrated, enticing them to spend more time and money in the area.

Zehr said activating this key downtown street, adding outdoor patios or finding other ways to spur activity such as offering stage performances after farmers markets could help attract people downtown. Drawing more traffic, he hopes, would keep Cedar Rapids’ central business district a safe and desirable place to be.

“I think it’d change the vibe,” Zehr said.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com