Police say Raleigh club not top worry

RALEIGH -- What goes on in and around Black Tie Nightlife isn't the most pressing concern for Raleigh police who patrol the district that contains the New Bern Avenue club, a district police commander said.

But Black Tie is still very much on the police department's radar, said Raleigh Police Capt. Tom Earnhardt, the District 24 commander who supervises officers who patrol a wide swath of East and South Raleigh.

"We've got other areas that have a much higher call volume," Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt commented after Bill Atkinson, the president and CEO of WakeMed, said he wants to see the nightclub closed as he met with editors and reporters of The News & Observer earlier this week. The 10,000-square-foot nightclub sits on the opposite side of New Bern Avenue from WakeMed's Raleigh campus, and Atkinson said the club's history of police calls including shootings and a homicide makes it too dangerous for the East Raleigh neighborhood.

The club owner, Benjamin Becker, has rejected Atkinson's assessment of the club. Becker did not return a phone call Thursday seeking further comment.

Police records show that officers have been called 54 times to the club at 3201 New Bern Ave. over the past two years. Calls include reports of multiple assaults, shootings, stabbings, larcenies and a sexual offense. A Durham man was shot to death in 2007 in the club's parking lot. In June, cars traveling near the club exchanged gunfire in front of WakeMed Raleigh Campus.

City officials looked into the possibility of restricting the club's operations after the 2007 homicide, but Black Tie staff worked to improve their security, Earnhardt said. The number of incidents has dropped over recent years, Earnhardt said.

"A couple of high-profile incidents once every two or three years is not necessarily a monumental crime trend," he said. "We do not allow something to fester to the point that it's out of control."

Atkinson said Thursday he understands that Black Tie may not be the worst spot in the city, but thinks it's still a problem.

"We're not naïve enough to think that there aren't other danger spots," Atkinson said. "But this is in our neighborhood."

Hospital staff members have seen patients that were nightclub patrons come into their emergency room with gunshot and stab wounds. Oftentimes, Atkinson said, there's the presence of illegal drugs.

Shutting down a nightclub isn't easy, said Tom McCormick, Raleigh's city attorney. The city, in conjunction with the police department, needs to show a pattern of problems proving that the club is a public nuisance. That can be time consuming, McCormick said. City staff can also seek to revoke a club's amplified music permit, which would essentially shut down a dance club.

McCormick did not comment when asked whether the city is contemplating action again Black Tie.

Plum Crazy, a North Raleigh club whose patrons had several drug and violence arrests, was shut down in 2000 after the city used the courts to classify the nightspot as a public nuisance.

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