Police, bar owners discuss nightlife safety after recent kidnappings

BOSTON — The recent abductions were a terrifying wake up call for anyone going out at night -- but also for police and the owners of clubs and bars.

Boston's police commissioner asked the city's nightspots and bars to send representatives to a meeting on Tuesday to discuss patron safety following two high-profile abductions of women.

"It’s a time for us all to come together, it takes a village – the safety of not only our guests but also our staff is obviously very important to all of us in the city," said Jeff Goldenberg, General Manager of House of Blues in Boston, who was in attendance.

About 200 representatives of the businesses that serve alcohol in the city met with law enforcement to discuss how to prevent further tragedies from happening. One big push from police is more technology, including surveillance systems and license card readers.

Both women who were kidnapped recently in Boston had just left bars when they were taken.

A 23-year-old woman who vanished from outside of a bar near Faneuil Hall in January was later found alive.

Jassy Correia, also 23, disappeared from outside a Theater District nightclub last month and was found dead in a car in Delaware days later.

In both cases, surveillance video helped police retrace their steps. It helped bring Olivia Ambrose home, but for Correia, police hope the evidence will bring her killer to justice.

"Enough is enough, there are predators out there," said Commissioner Gross. "If someone is so inebriated that they can’t stand, instead of just ejecting them out -- call the police, we will come handle that."

He said they'll continue to step up patrols, too.

"Often times at the close of clubs there are the same people just sitting there watching, they don’t go in the clubs, but every Friday or Saturday they are just watching or circling around in cars," Gross added. "So we want to send a message to people who do that...we are watching you.”

The plan is to form a task force to come up with more ways to keep people safe in the city all while balancing privacy concerns. And though this is a step forward, it really is just the beginning of the conversation.

Cox Media Group