Westport’s enhanced weekend security starts back up soon. Here’s what to know.
Highs in the 70s this weekend, which means more people leaving their homes and enjoying the city. It also means the beginning of enhanced security after 11 p.m. on the weekends in Westport.
In December 2017, the Westport Regional Business League won the right to block off sidewalks in the entertainment district to screen for concealed weapons. Westport doesn’t do this year-round, though; mostly, it’s in nice weather — April to October, maybe November. The district started the practice in September of last year, then stopped when it got cold, and now it’s starting back up again for the first full season under the new policy. I spoke to WRBL’s executive director, Kim Kimbrough, earlier this week about what to expect.
Westport started the enhanced security late last year, and there were a few issues — long lines being one of them. What will be different this year?
I think we were somewhat surprised by how many people were coming in after 11 p.m. And we also didn’t know from which directions most people entered the district — most were coming in from the west side, it turned out. And we found that out pretty quick. So, the fix we’ve made is adding some additional entrances, as well as additional scanners at those entrances to keep the line moving quick.
If it’s like last year, if you enter near Manor Square [the north end of Westport, near Char Bar] or at Broadway and Westport Road, you’ll sail right in. At the other entrances [Westport and Mill, Pennsylvania and Archibald; see map], you might have to wait in the queueing line if you’re coming in after midnight. Our goal is less than 10 minutes at the absolute most at the busiest entrances.
And you’ve also added two new entrances?
We’ve added two new entrance points off the alley [outside Johnny Kaw’s Yard Bar, off Mill Street]. So there are now six total entrances. And we’ve also added two new pass-through metal detectors at the busier entrances, so there are eight total pass-throughs.
What happens when you roll up to these entrances?
It’s like what happens if you walk into Arrowhead, or City Hall, or Kauffman, or the Sprint Center — you empty your pockets, put what’s in your pockets in a tray, walk through the pass-through, and then collect your belongings and head on in. If it [the metal detector] goes off, you’ll be wanded to see where the bulk of metal is coming from.
So, the enhanced security will be from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., Friday and Saturday nights, until October? November?
There’s no specific date. It all depends on when the crowds stop coming, when there’s less overflow in the streets from the bars. And that absolutely correlates with the weather. If it’s nice in November, I imagine we’ll still be doing it. We also may cancel [the security] some evenings based on bad weather. Any call on that is based on warnings from the National Weather Service, because we’ve got 30 people out there on any given night manning the entrances.
And there’s an independent third party working to ensure nobody’s civil rights are being violated as part of the process, as well?
Yes, at each entrance there’s somebody monitoring for civil rights violations, and making sure everybody is treated the same, and that no discrimination is taking place. And if they do see discrimination, they report it. That was part of the ordinance, and we supported it, because Westport is clearly the most diverse entertainment district in the region, and we like it like that. We are a place where Kansas Citians from all walks of life come to spend time with friends. So any hint that [discrimination] might be an issue, we were willing to step up and prove that that’s not the case.
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