As police overtime costs soar, Lower Broadway merchants criticize lack of police patrols

An unconscious woman is being carried down Lower Broadway by a man in a black t-shirt and jeans, her belly exposed and her limbs dangling helplessly.

It's just before 2 a.m on a Sunday night in October and startled passersby stop and stare.

Three Metro Nashville Police officers briefly glance at the pair, then resume their conversation, one leaning a hip on a squad car. None of the officers intervene to inquire whether the woman needs medical attention — or to ascertain whether the man is carrying a companion or a complete stranger.

The scene is among scores of incidents — from public urination and aggressive panhandling to knife and fist fights — captured in recent months by security cameras perched atop businesses in the heart of Nashville's downtown honky-tonk district.

Business owners complain that the police are failing to assertively patrol Lower Broadway, a nightly destination for thousands of people — even as the department deploys extra officers to sporting and entertainment events including 5K runs, concerts and Titans games.

A USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee investigation found the department spent $9.1 million on overtime pay last year for police officers to direct traffic and provide security at such "special events."

"Every Saturday night down here is a 'special event' by the numbers," said Ed Smith, who owns five cowboy boot and apparel shops along Lower Broadway. "Why are we not getting the same officers here? We just ask someone be present at all times, not just for the safety of my employees, but for visitors, too."

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Statistics show that crime is down in the area. There have been 333 incidents reported to police in the Central Precinct department, which encompasses Lower Broadway, as of Friday this year, according to Gordon Howey, precinct commander.

During the same period last year, there were 381 reported incidents. The precinct had the lowest levels of serious crimes — including rape, homicide, aggravated robbery and burglary than any other precinct in Nashville

Downtown business owners stress that Lower Broadway is largely safe, but contend the police presence has not kept up with the growing throngs of people who flock to honky-tonks, restaurants and tourist shops.

There are six officers who patrol Lower Broadway and one supervisor who oversees the area on each eight-hour shift - a number that has remained unchanged for over two years. Lower Broadway loosely encompasses First to Fifth Avenues along Broadway. In recent years, as new bars and restaurants have opened the "Lower Broad" footprint has expanded into side streets.

"Broadway gets attention from police officers 24-7," Howey said. "You might not see them, but they're out there working."

While he would like more officers patrolling Nashville's biggest tourist district, the department overall is short-staffed, Howey said. While the department has a budget for approximately 1,510 officers, it only has about 1,440 officers.

"Nashville, like police departments across the nation, are finding it challenging to recruit the police officers it needs," Howey said.

Given staffing levels, Howey said he has made scheduling adjustments since he took over the precinct two years ago, in order to take into account the increased number of people in Nashville's bustling downtown on weekends.

Howey took two officers from daytime shifts to add them to late night weekend shifts. Officers typically work past their regular night shift from 2:30 pm to 11 p.m. to provide extra coverage as the third shift takes over at 10:30 p.m., he said.

Howey, who received a copy of the videotaped incident involving the unconscious woman last October, said it was not representative of the day-to-day conduct of officers patrolling downtown.

"When I received that video, I was appalled," said Howey. He "addressed that situation with some counseling," he said.

"They didn't feel safe"

At a contentious meeting between downtown merchants, police and the district attorney's office late last month, business owners said they were seeing increased incidents involving customers and staff harassed by aggressive panhandlers and threatening individuals.

Smith, whose businesses include Broadway Boots, said he had lost a manager of four years and an assistant manager — both women — because "they didn't feel safe."

"I think the police officers who are on the street are doing as good a job as humanly possible," said Barrett Hobbs, chair of the District Merchants Association and operating partner for Whiskey Bent Saloon, Doc Holidays and Bootleggers Inn along Lower Broadway.

"With that being said, I don't think the city has kept up with the needs of the entertainment district and the number of officers needed to respond to crime as well as deter it," he said.

Other property owners cited their high property tax rates and the sales revenues they generated for the city as a reason they think more police should be assigned to the area.

Property owners along Lower Broadway pay a special tax designated in part to ensure the area is clean and safe, but those funds do not go to police.

Instead they go to the Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit that uses the funds to pressure wash sidewalks daily and maintain foliage.

"There is more vomit and urination than you would expect," said Tom Turner, president.

Turner said the group also hires "safety ambassadors" who sometimes ride Segways, answer tourists' questions and intervene if they see someone who has had too much to drink. The ambassadors routinely contact police to report trouble, but are not a substitute for police presence, Turner said.

"We think the real security side of things belongs to the police department," he said. "We have an increase in employees, an increase in revenues, and increase in visitors and the geography (of downtown Broadway) is expanding, so it seems a natural conclusion that you would have an increase in police, just like you would an increase in trash pick up."

Brenda Sanderson, who along with her husband and son own four clubs along Lower Broadway, said business owners would support any effort to increase police presence along Lower Broadway.

Legends Corner, one of the Sandersons' clubs is located on Fifth and Broadway, just across the street from Bridgestone Arena where concerts and Predators games are staffed by Metro officers from across the city who are brought in to work overtime to direct traffic and pedestrians.

Those officers aren't in sight when there are no special events.

"To me it looks like when we have special events, it looks to me like we bring in an awful lot of officers," she said. "We need to make sure we have the right number of officers available even when those kinds of things aren't going on."

DA, Mayor take action

The concerns of merchants has gotten the attention of some city officials.

District Attorney Glenn Funk this week designated an assistant district attorney to prosecute all offenses in the Central Precinct. She and a victim advocate will work with victims, the police department and businesses, he said.

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Some offenders on Lower Broadway have wracked up dozens of arrests, or suffer from mental health and substance abuse issues, Funk said. Tammy Meade, the assistant district attorney, will also focus on other approaches to those offenders, he said.

“Downtown Nashville is the front porch of this city," Funk said. "It is vital that we protect this international destination. For Nashville to continue to put its best foot forward we must make sure that downtown is safe and crime free."

Last week, a group of business owners met with Mayor David Briley to stress the urgency of their concerns.

Briley will meet with Police Chief Steve Anderson and his staff Wednesday "to discuss police staffing levels to ensure the appropriate number of officers are assigned to the areas where police presence is needed the most," a Briley spokeswoman said.

Reach Anita Wadhwani at awadhwani@tennessean.com, 615-259-8092 or on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani.