Remember how Dallas strip clubs fought tooth and nail against a 2022 ordinance that would force them to shut their doors between 2 and 6 a.m.? They were so intent on derailing this law enforcement measure that they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene on their behalf.
But the ordinance was allowed to stand, and now we have results. The Dallas Police Department reports a dramatic drop in violent crime at sex businesses since Dallas began enforcing its 2 a.m. curfew. According to a recent police briefing to the City Council, the number of violent crimes at these locations — most of them in northwest Dallas — went from 30 in 2022 to a single incident last year.
While the degree of success of local policies isn’t always easy to measure, the outcome in this case is clear: By zeroing in on businesses known to be crime hotspots, this ordinance has helped make Dallas safer.
This is remarkable and worth celebrating. Crime has been steadily decreasing in Dallas in recent years, and this ordinance has been a valuable tool for thepolice.
Opinion
The Dallas City Council approved the ordinance in January 2022, putting strip clubs on notice after a series of violent incidents. The rules say that if business owners are found to break the curfew, they can lose their sexually oriented business license and face criminal charges. Club owners were not happy.
The businesses took their fight to the federal courts, and for a while, they succeeded in blocking the ordinance, alleging a violation of their First Amendment rights. In October 2023, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s ruling and allowed the city to enforce the measure. Months later, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
XTC Cabaret — a notorious strip club with a long history of incidents that include stabbings, shootings and murders — has reported only seven violent crimes in the last four years.
Our enthusiasm about the results of the ordinance, however, is tempered by the reality that some businesses are indefatigable in their efforts to circumvent the rules. In February, Paris Adult Book Store and Pandora Men’s Club on Harry Hines Boulevard were raided by police and shut down after officials accused the businesses of promoting prostitution.
The Paris parking lot was a well-known open-air prostitution hub. In the case of Pandora, the club had willingly surrendered its sexually oriented business license in November, insisting that it was a dance hall with a late-hours permit, according to reporting by our colleague Robert Wilonsky.
But that’s not what police describe. They said the business offered female employees for sex and facilitated drug deals.
At the recent council briefing, Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno rightly asked about crime at other businesses that operate after hours. Police said they would get back with more information.
Dallas officials were wise to champion the curfew on strip clubs. But they must remain vigilant and crack down on businesses that continue to flout the rules. Some don’t even care to disguise their illegal activity.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here.
If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com