Midland City Council Removes Peace Officer Requirement at Double Bar Saloon

Bar owners say they will continue to provide security despite rule change.

Published on Feb. 3, 2026

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The Midland City Council has voted to remove the peace officer requirement from Double Bar Saloon's alcohol permit, following a similar decision for the neighboring Hot Shots bar. The bar owners say they will continue to provide security guards at the establishment despite the rule change.

Why it matters

The decision highlights the ongoing debate around security measures at bars and nightlife establishments in Midland, as the city tries to balance public safety with supporting local businesses. The removal of the peace officer rule for these two bars suggests a shift towards more consistent policies across the city.

The details

Double Bar Saloon had the peace officer requirement added to its specific-use designation (SUD) permit to sell alcohol when it first opened in 2025, due to numerous incident reports in the area. The bar's owners say they have spent over $47,000 on security since then, including having one to four guards on duty depending on the night of the week. Despite having slightly more reported incidents than neighboring bars, the city acknowledged there may be overlap in reporting and a lack of consistency in how restrictions are applied across establishments.

  • The SUD was originally approved on June 10, 2025.
  • From June 2025 to January 2026, there were 25 incidents reported at Double Bar Saloon.
  • Between January and July 2025, there were 40 reported incidents at Double Bar.

The players

Double Bar Saloon

A bar in Midland, Texas that had a peace officer requirement added to its alcohol permit when it first opened in 2025 due to incident reports in the area.

Hot Shots

A neighboring bar that also previously had the peace officer requirement removed from its permit.

Midland City Council

The local governing body that voted to remove the peace officer requirement from Double Bar Saloon's permit.

Carly Smith

A co-owner of Double Bar Saloon.

Councilman Brian Stubbs

A member of the Midland City Council who acknowledged the need for more consistency in how security restrictions are implemented.

At-Large Councilman John Burkholder

A Midland City Council member who emphasized the importance of community safety over individual business interests.

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What they’re saying

“We have done everything that y'all have asked of us to do. Us and Hot Shots were the only two bars that had to shut down, and we shut down for a month. The month before was (around) $180,000 for us, which is a really good month for us. So, we've had to kind of come back from that.”

— Carly Smith, Co-owner, Double Bar Saloon (mrt.com)

“We see the difference in the data, and we see the difference in public perception also. I also agree that we need to be more consistent with these. I think our ordinances and our SUD process are just kind of inundated at this point. As Midland grows and our population is getting younger, we need to make sure we're updating our criteria and making these fair across the board.”

— Councilman Brian Stubbs (mrt.com)

“Thank you for taking those (security) measures, especially with you talking about the fact that whether we take it off or not, you're still going to do that because you feel it's the right thing to do. But it also doesn't mean we're not going to call out people who are not trying to do everything that they can to provide safety. We do want to operate with consistency, but sometimes you have to have some much deeper conversations to get people to understand that this is about a community, not an individual. We want to make sure that we're keeping our community safe, and sometimes we have to nudge people in that direction a little bit to encourage them to just do what's right.”

— At-Large Councilman John Burkholder (mrt.com)

What’s next

The amended specific-use designation (SUD) permit for Double Bar Saloon will go into effect immediately, removing the peace officer requirement.

The takeaway

The Midland City Council's decision to remove the peace officer requirement for Double Bar Saloon, while maintaining that the bar must continue providing its own security measures, reflects an effort to apply more consistent policies across the city's bars and nightlife establishments. This highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing public safety with supporting local businesses.