Library officials say the new policy seems to be working and has cut down on issues.
“We have seen a decrease in incidents and disruptions,” said Debi Chess, the Dayton Metro Library’s director of external relations and development.
“We will continue to evaluate the policy’s efficacy in regard to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our patrons and staff while assuring the library remains open and accessible.”
It’s unclear how long these new restrictions could remain in place. The Southeast Branch library changed its hours last fall because of fights between young people, and the facility still shuts down on weekday afternoons.
Scraps break out
Dayton police responded to about 585 calls for service last year to the downtown branch at 215 E. Third St., according to police data. Calls for service to that address were up 116% compared to 2023.
Police last year made 55 arrests at the main library, which was a 139% increase from 2023.
Some of those arrests took place on Dec. 18. At 2:42 p.m., multiple young people got into fights outside the main entrance of the downtown library.
Security video shows people screaming while shoving, grabbing and hitting each other as library staff and security personnel try to break things up.
Dayton police officers arrived at the scene within minutes, and they can be seen on video directing people to leave the area. Most of the police officers departed by around 3:15 p.m.
Later that same day, at about 4:05 p.m., another fight erupted on the second floor of the library.
Video shows young males throwing punches and wrestling each other on the ground. More people got involved, and the brawl ended up in a hallway by the upstairs restrooms.
People can be seen on video striking, kicking and clawing at each other. One teen ran up and sucker-punched another young person from behind.
Police cleared the area and arrested two 18-year-old males, who were also involved in a disturbance on an RTA bus before they went to the library, according to a Dayton police report.
The police report says three individuals who were involved in the fights at the library took an RTA bus after school from Dayton’s Belmont neighborhood to the downtown bus hub. The two teens who were arrested tried to start a fight with a third individual at the bus hub, and they followed him to the library, where things turned physical, the report says.
New policy
After these brawls, the downtown library adopted a new “quiet space” policy that went into effect on Jan. 6.
Under the policy, the library limits the number of people who can enter the facility between 2 and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Only 20 additional visitors are let in every half hour. Patrons are given slips of paper that say what time they can enter.
During quiet space hours, visitors are prohibited from gathering anywhere in the library in groups of two or more people. The library also got rid of video games and group activities in the teen area.
Chess said these restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future. She said the library will continue to monitor the situation and will make adjustments as needed.
“The safety and well-being of our patrons, staff, volunteers and all who choose to use library services and resources is our primary concern,” she said.
The Dayton Metro Library’s Southeast Branch closes between 2:30 and 4 p.m. on weekdays.
The Southeast Branch last fall eliminated some of its afterschool hours because of large fights between teenagers inside the facility.
The branch library shuts down before the final bell of Belmont High School, which is next door. Multiple Belmont students were involved in a violent melee inside the library in September.
Library officials last fall said the Southeast Library would resume normal hours of operation in late December. That did not happen.
Some community members have said they think the main library would have fewer fights and problems if there were not so many high school students and young people congregating downtown.
Dayton Public Schools gives high school students Greater Dayton RTA bus passes to get to and from school. Some people say this led to young people hanging around the downtown and Southeast Branch libraries instead of heading directly home like they would if the school district used school buses for student transportation.
The downtown bus hub in recent years also struggled with safety issues and disturbances. The city of Dayton installed landscaping and took other measures to try to discourage people from loitering and hanging out on Jefferson Street by the bus hub.
Some community members have said they think young people need more supervision at the library, and other people have called for a larger police and security presence. Some people say that young people need a third safe place to go where they can hang out and socialize that’s not their homes or schools.
Dayton police Major Jason Hall said the police department puts officers in visible locations near the library to try to be a deterrent.
Proactive patrols, where officers are stationed nearby, is one of the main reasons there has been a large increase in calls for service at the library, Hall said.
Last year, the most common types of service calls to the downtown library were related to trespassing (45 calls), theft (41), disorderly subjects (39), wellness checks (36) and assaults (16). Police also received service calls about juveniles, mental health, fights, threats and drugs.
All six Dayton Metro Library branches in the city saw sizable increases in police calls for service last year. Police call data includes incidents in which officers self-dispatched to those locations.
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