Residents press Paris council to act on safety problems tied to motels and panhandling

Residents and hotel owners urged the Paris City Council on Jan. 13 to take action after reports of unsafe behavior, trash and harassment near several motels and at busy intersections.

Dina Nicholson, a Paris resident, told the council the problem has worsened since last year and urged officials to “do something” to protect residents and businesses. “This is way out of hand. We need to take this and make the situation safer for everybody,” Nicholson said during the citizens forum.

Chief Hundley reported police outreach to multiple motels and a 90‑day review of calls for service. He said one motel showed an increase in calls, including a Sunday arrest where six people were charged with narcotics violations. Hundley recommended targeted enforcement and a nuisance‑abatement approach that combines police, code enforcement and other agencies rather than a broad, inspection‑heavy ordinance modeled on Grand Prairie’s rules. “We’ve got sufficient personnel to do that,” he said, urging a focus on “hitting the hot zones.”

Hotel owner Mahir Mark Pankaj, who said he operates local properties including Days Inn and Hampton Inn, said hoteliers already meet regularly and share information about troublesome guests. “We do have stop lists for that, and we definitely take that very seriously,” he said, offering to convene motel owners and the Chamber of Commerce to coordinate responses.

Other residents described trash, biohazards and panhandlers stepping into traffic near Lamar Avenue and the Loop, which they said threatens motorists and pedestrians. Chuck McMasters said he volunteers to clean underpasses and called for solutions that help people in need while reducing public safety risks. Ricky Gillian described encountering biohazardous waste and urged more decisive action.

Council members and staff said the city’s options are constrained by state law and court rulings on loitering and vagrancy, but the council asked the city attorney to research model ordinances and other lawful measures that could be placed on a future agenda. The mayor and members agreed to continue the discussion at a later meeting and asked staff for a 30‑day checkup on the situation.

The council did not adopt a new ordinance at the meeting. Instead, officials emphasized closer coordination with hotel operators, targeted police patrols of identified “hot spots,” and exploring nuisance‑abatement teams that combine code enforcement, public safety and state agencies as warranted. The city attorney said she would return with model language and legal context for potential loitering or pedestrian ordinances.

Next steps: the council requested the city attorney prepare options for a future agenda and asked the police department for a follow‑up report on enforcement and hot‑spot activity within 30 days.