Akron Police are cracking down on nuisance bars and clubs after they say they’re getting dozens of calls from the same ones over and over again, exhausting their resources.
The calls range from thefts and robberies to fights and shootings, said Akron Police Capt. Daniel Zampelli.
“They’re not only exhausting a lot of our manpower, but they’re a danger to the public that’s going to that area,” Zampelli said.
He’s talking about two clubs in particular — Georgie’s Girls on Brittain Rd. and The Mansion Nightclub on East Market St. in downtown Akron.
Zampelli said police have already served The Mansion with a certified letter stating they must work together with officers and the prosecutor’s office to figure out ways to curb the violence.
It comes after a near-riot at the club last weekend, Zampelli said, that required 17 officers to respond.
“The third incident in five weeks,” he added. “That’s a lot of incidents, that’s a lot of problems.”
Then there’s Georgie’s Girls, a strip club next to Georgie’s Pub in a shopping plaza owned by George Jumbert for the last 15 years.
Zampelli said they have had 26 calls for service to the location so far this year, compared to 33 calls in 2015.
“What we’re seeing is a criminal element there,” he said. “Something is attracting these individuals to this location.”
But Jumbert disagrees.
“For 15 years, we didn’t have any problems until lately and the reason is the thefts,” he said, adding that the majority of police calls are for thefts and robberies that aren’t his or his workers’ fault.
The latest robbery was Wednesday when a masked gunman held up a barmaid just moments after she opened for business.
“What should we do? You tell me, if someone comes to your house with a gun, what are you going to do? We cannot do anything,” Jumbert said.
Jumbert said he has two security guards on weekends and is willing to work with police.
