Newport police responded to a single bar more than 500 times in just two years, a volume of calls city leaders say ultimately led to its condemnation.
According to Newport police data shared with LINK nky, officers were dispatched to Diamond Debbie’s, located at 717 Patterson St., 501 times between March 24, 2024, and March 27 (when the city shut the bar down).
Of those, 202 were dispatched calls, while 299 were officer-initiated “area checks,” a proactive law enforcement activity where officers survey specific neighborhoods or locations to prevent crime.
“The city just isn’t going to tolerate this type of activity, and we took an aggressive approach to deal with it,” said Newport Assistant City Manager Brian Steffen. “At the same time, we remain willing and open to work with our business community who want to try to be a good neighbor.”…