COVINGTON, Ky. — Covington leaders decided Wednesday to allow Zazou Bar to keep its liquor license following a stabbing outside the bar on Sept. 19.
The stabbing happened during a fight between a bouncer for the bar and one of its customers.
City leaders agreed not to suspend the bar's license if owners agree to increase their security.
WATCH: Covington bar owner highlights plans for improved safety after recent stabbing
"They're required to have detailed officers for the next 9 months, during all times Friday and Saturday night, 10 p.m. to close," a city leader said.
Covington ABC Administrator Lydia Northcutt said the agreement was designed to support both safety and the local nightlife scene.
"This agreement allows us to work with the bar owner and as well keep this Covington that we are working so hard to thrive with and have people be able to enjoy their Covington nightlife," Northcutt said.
According to calls for service that WCPO 9 requested from the Covington Police Department, there have already been five suspicious persons calls, four calls for fights and one call for a loud and disorderly customer so far this year at Zazou Bar — including one call for a man who was trespassed from the property after bringing in a gun.
However, the bar was recently bought by new ownership. Owner and operator Michael Mercer said he is already taking steps to improve safety.
"What I do intend on doing is reaching out to the local officers here in town and seeing what kind of training we can offer, offer for our security staff and not only just offer that training one time, but be able to video record it so that way we have it in our SOP library so it's part of the training on any new hires over the course of the year," Mercer said.
The bar's attorney, Alex Edmonson, declined to comment on who started the violent encounter at Wednesday's hearing.
"At this point in time, everything's been turned over for investigation purposes," Edmonson said. "It'd be a pure conjecture if we said, oh yeah, we were definitely not at fault. I mean, at this point in time, I think that that'll play itself out."
The Kenton County Prosecutor's Office says no charges have been filed as a result of the fight and stabbing.
