Hattiesburg mulls shorter bar hours

Proposal comes after USM football players shootings

HATTIESBURG — City leaders in Hattiesburg are considering whether to make bars and nightclubs close two hours earlier for six nights a week.

The city currently allows bars and clubs to stay open until 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and midnight Sunday.

The proposal would set closing by midnight every night.

The possible change comes after the shootings that injured three University of Southern Mississippi football players at Remington’s Hunt Club in the early hours of Nov. 14.

But, the Hattiesburg American reports that officials were looking at new hours even before the shootings. City leaders had already met with managers and owners of several clubs where police officers had responded to multiple calls this year.

Records from the Hattiesburg Police Department show that Ropers was the club where officers responded most often, with 134 calls and 27 arrests. Remington’s Hunt Club came in second for call volume, with 129 calls and no arrests.

Mayor Johnny DuPree said the city could consider the change by January.