NEWPORT, Ky. — Newport police responded to a single bar more than 500 times in just two years, a volume of calls city leaders say ultimately led to its condemnation.
According to Newport police data shared with LINK nky, officers were dispatched to Diamond Debbie’s, located at 717 Patterson St., 501 times between March 24, 2024, and March 27 (when the city shut the bar down).
Of those, 202 were dispatched calls, while 299 were officer-initiated “area checks,” a proactive law enforcement activity where officers survey specific neighborhoods or locations to prevent crime.
“The city just isn’t going to tolerate this type of activity, and we took an aggressive approach to deal with it,” said Newport Assistant City Manager Brian Steffen. “At the same time, we remain willing and open to work with our business community who want to try to be a good neighbor.”
LINK nky reached out to Diamond Debbie’s owner, Debbie Cantrell, for comment, but she denied at the advice of her attorney.
The city said the 501 calls reflect activity tied to the bar itself. That does not include additional calls to the surrounding neighborhood.
“We’ve taken enforcement action against bars in the past, whether that be liquor license violations or violations of occupational license,” Steffen said. “The severity of the conditions that exist at this location warranted the condemnation of the bar, however.”
According to Newport Lieutenant Jeffery Kohls, the calls to Diamond Debbie’s ranged from disturbances and fights to more serious incidents. Some of the types of calls that police records show include:
- 34 disturbance runs
- Three assaults
- Nine domestic violence calls
- 13 warrant runs (officers knew a suspect was there with a warrant out for their arrest)
- 14 investigation runs
- 10 noise complaints
- Four gun runs (shots fired, someone with a gun)
- Five thefts
- 15 fights
- 22 suspicious persons
- Five vice activities (things like gambling or drug use)
- 19 calls to assist other agencies (such as the fire department)
- Six 911 hang-up calls
Steffen also compared the bar’s call volume to other establishments in the city. In Newport’s East Row, for example, 72 calls were recorded over a similar period for a bar, with nearly half being proactive checks. Two other West End bars combined for 42 calls over two years.
City leaders say the pattern of activity, especially when combined with officer-initiated checks, signaled a persistent problem rather than isolated incidents. The city has even installed a camera facing Diamond Debbie’s and others around the neighborhood, once police activity increased.
Newport code enforcement told <i>LINK nky</i> that in addition to the calls to the bar, the building itself (owned by a separate party) has deteriorating conditions inside, including painted plywood flooring, missing ceiling tiles and toilet paper chained to the wall in the women’s restroom.
Police and city officials said ownership was unwilling to make meaningful changes. Steffen said Diamond Debbie’s started out as a quiet neighborhood bar, and over the past 12-plus years in operation, calls have only increased in the last few years.
“We’ve said it time and time again, we just want the business owners to be a good neighbor,” said Newport Police Chief Chris Fangman.
Diamond Debbie’s sits in a neighborhood. It has apartments above the establishment and the Two Rivers senior living apartment across from it, along with homes. The building is an existing non-conforming use in the city’s zoning code, meaning even if Diamond Debbie’s could no longer operate there, another bar could.
“We wouldn’t tolerate this in our business districts,” Steffen said. “It affects the quality of life of the people in this area and the blocks surrounding it.”
The case is still moving through the legal system, and any reopening would depend on appeals and compliance with city requirements.
City leaders say the situation reflects a broader commitment to addressing nuisance properties before they escalate further.
“The situation is heating up, and we are trying to prevent it from resulting in something even more serious,” Fangman said. “Being very proactive in trying to quell things early on.”
LINK nky is a media partner of WCPO.com.
