Austin American-Statesman (03/19/19) Wilson, Mark D.

Following recent shootings in Austin, Texas' entertainment district, the police department will collaborate with other police leaders to fortify safety, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley. Possible remedies could include adding more officers and changing how or where they are deployed, but Manley said they also could focus on venues or specific shows that tend to draw violence. "We have in the past become aware of an artist or a group that was going to come to town and has a following and a history in prior cities and prior concerts of having significant violence associated with them," he stressed. "We proactively go out and we talk with that venue about whether or not they want to host that event, and, if so, what are their security plans." If police find venues or artists that could conceivably pose a risk, the idea would be to work with them on security issues ahead of time. Refusal to cooperate could invite scrutiny on their compliance with alcohol licensing or other regulations to prevent them from moving ahead with an event. "We will bring any resources to bear that we can if we can figure out any commonalities or any businesses that are drawing in this criminal element that we've seen infiltrate our entertainment district and really bring the level of violence to a level that we've not seen before," Manley pledged.

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