Police say Frank's Place does not meet nuisance requirements, bar manager ensures safety

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- Comments online and in the community are calling for a South Bend bar to be deemed as a nuisance property, the South Bend Police Department said it does not meet nuisance requirements.

Captain Dan Skibins, with SBPD, said he knows it’s alarming that the city has had two shootings, in the past month, outside of Frank’s Place on West Marion Street. The latest shooting injured six people, according to police.

“We do not believe at this time that they’re related in any way, shape, or form,” said Capt. Skibins.

The last two shootings took place on September 24, a police involved shooting of a man with a gun, and in March, a shooting took place during a drug deal gone wrong.  Bernard Rasmussen lives near the bar and said it is more than a nuisance.

“Place has to go,” he said. “It’s clear and eminent danger.”

Capt. Skibins said Frank’s Place is not designated as a nuisance property at this time.

“They haven’t even had three calls per service verified that Frank’s was the cause of the problem,” he said.

According to Capt. Skibins, Frank’s Place has not receive the five calls directly related to the bar in the past 60 days, that would go toward a nuisance designation. He said the bar has not been deemed a nuisance property since 2014.

Capt. Skibins said if Frank’s Place were to reach the five calls, that management would get a notification letter from the police department.

“The police department would work with them to keep them from reaching that status,” he said. “That hasn’t even happened yet.”

Chad Harper, Frank’s Place bar manager said he is working with police to make the bar and surrounding area. He said security upgrades are being made and the bar now closes at 1 a.m.

“We bound determined to make sure people understand this is safe place here at Frank’s,” Harper said. “Again this is an incident that happened after hours.”