MACON, Ga. — Bar owners in downtown Macon say they're grateful to see more Bibb County Sheriff's Office deputies in the area late at night.
They've been asking for years as they work toward solutions to make downtown Macon safer. One general manager believes a post he made on Facebook may have led to the change.
"We're ready for patrons to come back downtown and start patronizing again, to let them know that everything is safe," Marshall Talley, general manager at Vibez, said.
On Sept. 5, Macon-Bibb commissioners passed an ordinance closing bars earlier and considered another limiting large crowds.
Frustrated with those ordinances and slowing business, Talley took to Facebook. From his post came productive conversations.
"We will have a lieutenant assigned to downtown now. We do have direct contacts to reach out to the sheriff's office in case of anything. So, there's been progress since then," Talley said.
At downtown watch meetings, the sheriff's office has reassured business owners they're always working for them.
"We appreciate everything they do. So, I know at times we can get a little bit impatient as far as needing and wanting a response from them," said Jeremy Jackson, who owns Daiquiris and More.
Talley and Jackson say it sometimes doesn't seem that way.
"We have seen it pick up, but it's not as consistent as we would like," Jackson said.
They say consistency is what's missing, but that they have seen more presence lately. They just hope it stays that way.
Bars are now required to close at 2 a.m. with their doors completely locked. Talley says he hopes it continues to work to limit crime.
The large crowd ordinance commissioners considered early this month was tabled to allow for public hearings.
If approved, it would limit crowds of 10 or more on public rights-of-way between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. Mayor Lester Miller says they're holding off on the ordinance for now to see how their other actions work.