Keeping Your Club Safe:

Running a bar takes more than having good selection of liquor, as the owner you have a responsibility to keep patrons safe. Nobody wants to frequent an establishment where fights break out often. Such behavior puts both guests and employees at risk. Robert Smith, CEO of Nightclub Security Consultants and former police officer, hosted a seminar, Keeping Your Club Safe during a nightclub convention in New Orleans this past August. The contents of Robert’s presentation are extremely valuable and a must know for all of those working in the nightclub and bar industry.

What You Need to Know:

1. Statistics: According to the Bureau of Labor & Statistics, gun violence has increased 23% over the last 4 years. Once a shooter is challenged, they will typically stop shooting. According to the FBI, 50% of shooters are stopped by an unarmed citizen. Knowing these statistics is crucial in order for nightclub operators to make these numbers go down.
2. Why has there been an increase in violence? There is a large, young demographic that frequents nightclubs and bars. This demographic is different from its preceding generations as they are desensitized to violence. One of the reasons for this desensitization is due to video games, where shooting a gun is normal. Another reason is due to their lack of interpersonal skills because of the increase in using text and online messaging. Their skills in communicating and dealing with conflict are lacking compared to older generations.
3.  Stopping a Bar Fight Before it Starts: Shooters can be categorized into 4 groups. There is the angry patron inside of the club, the angry patron that staff ejected from the club, patrons tied into domestic violence and the planned shooter. Planned shooters are what the public and nightclub owners tend to worry about the most. However, the majority of violence in clubs is a result from the angry customer inside the club and the ejected one.
4. People Oriented Solution: Robert’s motto is Run, Hide, Fight. It is important to keep your patrons and staff safe and avoid violence whenever possible. However, at some point, it may be necessary for a person to stop the shooter from causing more harm by fighting back. The best way to stop the shooter, however, is preventing them from shooting in the first place.  Below are some of Robert’s recommendations:
   • Train staff to be aware of the people and activity in your establishment
   • Re-evaluate your security procedures
   • Change your mindset-think in terms of the aggressor and what they might do
   • Kick someone out for an argument, don’t let them back in. Have the cops escort them off of the premises
   • Befriend law enforcement prior to ever needing them
   • Have staff wear day glow vests when clearing out a club so potential aggressors will think they are law enforcement
   • Use improvised weapons when necessary
5. ID Scanning Solution: ID scanning plays an important role when it comes to increasing nightclub and bar safety. ID scanning goes beyond age verification. In less than 1 second, the patron’s information, including name and address is collected, and a time stamp is created. With a solution like VeriScan or VeriScan Online, an additional layer of validation is provided. It is also possible to tie the ID into government databases for nightclub industry operators that want a higher level of identity vetting. ID scanning solutions also give staff the ability to group patrons. If a patron is banned, the next time their ID is scanned, it will pop up on the scanning screen, that they are “banned.” Existing banned lists can be imported and shared among clubs. ID scanning also allows nightclub and bar staff to easily search and export visitor logs to aid in law enforcement investigations.

IDScan.net can help minimize violence in your establishment and help you comply with law enforcement when necessary. Learn more about IDScan.net’s nightclub and bar solutions, here or call one of our specialists, at 888-430-8936!