REMERTON, Ga. (WALB) - Recent violent crime has prompted the City of Remerton to issue an emergency ordinance for places that serve alcohol.

This emergency ordinance came after a Valdosta 16-year-old was shot and killed just after midnight on Saturday, July 5, near Baytree Place. This is one of the many violent crimes that the Remerton Police Department has called on the help of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in under two years.

|PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UPDATE: 16-year-old shooting victim identified, GBI investigating|

Lt. Derrick Sinclair said, “What we’ve seen is people show up after twelve thirty or one o’clock, come out there and out but aren’t actually going into the bars. They are just hanging out. Hoping that if the bars are closed by that time then there is no reason for them to be there hanging out, hopefully that will reduce the violence.”

Because of the city’s findings, the Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance has been temporarily amended to restrict business hours for license holders for the next 30 days. Those with a license have to close by midnight through Aug. 10.

One Remerton business owner said, “Closing at 12 is a knee-jerk reaction to a bigger problem. It is my belief that two things could instantly reduce the amount of violence in the area. One is police presence on foot patrolling up and down the strip, accompanied by a no loitering zone. They have turned the strip into a block party, and City of Remerton, that’s on you.”

Sinclair said, “We’re going to work with our community partners to see what we can do to enhance public safety, enhance the experience for community members, while making the area safer.”

Remerton Police told WALB that they had increased patrols and added cameras to assist with curbing crime. Those changes were made after the shooting death of Brianna Long in October 2023, where a bullet went through the wall and hit Long as she was cleaning up at the Pier where she worked as a bartender.

|READ MORE: Click here for more on WALB’s ongoing coverage of the Remerton Bar shooting|

“You can tell from the last few cases that we’ve made all of that stuff has helped, you know, in solving crimes and so forth. Going forward, hoping they will do the same thing,” Sinclair said.

The ordinance highlights that the violent incidents are believed to be gang-related and are directly outside of bars after midnight. Officials are hoping the next 30 days will give them time to implement changes and prevent further violence.

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