City of Dallas considers public safety recommendations as World Cup looms

Dallas considers safety upgrades ahead of World Cup

Dallas is looking to make downtown more safe as it prepares for plenty of World Cup traffic this summer. FOX 4's Lori Brown has more.

DALLAS - As North Texas prepares to welcome World Cup travelers, Dallas will introduce a new entertainment license that aims to regulate the city's nightlife following an uptick in violence last summer.

What we know:

Dallas City Council heard safety recommendations from the Quality of Life Committee on Wednesday.

As part of the recommendations, Dallas will introduce a new entertainment license for businesses.

"Dallas likes to brag that we are a business-friendly city. That should not just apply to our Fortune 500 companies and the Texas Stock Exchange, but also our thousands of small businesses and entertainment operators," Councilman Chad West said.

The task force was established by West following an uptick in violence in the city last summer. A series of shootings in June and July 2025 led to increased police presence downtown.

The violent incidents also led to the closure of Rodeo Dallas, a Deep Ellum bar that Dallas Police said was a center for violence and crime. The bar remains closed after a dispute with its landlord.

Dig deeper:

Deep Ellum announced last week that they will make safety changes to the popular nightlife district as World Cup travelers prepare to make their way to Dallas this summer.

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The district will increase the number of police patrols this summer, aiming to always have officers available when other officers are assigned to different duties. 

What they're saying:

Dallas City Council members discussed the recommendations Wednesday.

"We've had an instance with Rodeo Bar in Deep Ellum that was a real hazard to the community on a public safety level and required significant police resources," Councilman Paul Ridley said. "I want to make sure if similar infractions or events occur at another venue under license that the number of instances is considered in whether to rescind a license."

"The idea is if there are infractions, those go in the file of the offending entity based on a to-be determined number of infractions," J. Damany Daniel, a member of the task force, said of the new license.

"I think it is important, not withstanding all the requirements, that staff retain flexibility to not only issue citations but also resend the license if events outside the criteria, such as dealing drugs, sex trafficking and violent crimes."

What's next:

 City staff will now work to write specific language to establish the license, and will report back to the Quality of Life Committee in May.