Security Topics

Nightclub & Bar Security

Bouncers Doormen Need Training

Nightclub bouncers and doormen have been known to physically eject obnoxious patrons with such force that they have suffered serious injury or occasionally a death. It always makes me wonder what led up to this violence and if excessive force was necessary? As a general rule, a bouncer should never lay hands on a nightclub patron, except in a self-defense or arrest situation. If you think about it, what other business type has to use bouncers to bodily eject paying customers into the street?

Bouncers

The industry term bouncer presents an image of someone who will physically break up fights and forcibly eject undesirable patrons. Bouncers are often portrayed in movies as tough, thug-like scrappers who love to fight, like in the movie "Road House". Many nightclubs foster that image by hiring over-sized, ex-jocks or body-builders to handle drunken or out of control patrons. Are big burly guys necessary to prevent violence in a nightclub? Many of these bouncers have little experience and receive no real training. In a crisis, inexperienced bouncers will be forced to rely on their own common sense and physical instincts to solve a problem. This is a scary concept.

The duty of a bouncer is to monitor the crowd to see that everyone behaves and follows the house rules. The goal should be to see that everyone has a good time but within limits. The best bouncers are personable, friendly, and can talk to people without appearing threatening or intimidating. Not all bouncers should be male. The best bouncers don’t bounce anyone…they manage people. The mere presence of a well-trained bouncer should remind the patron that their conduct is being monitored. To be effective a bouncer needs professional training on how to manage and control a packed house. Bouncers must watch over the club so it does not get too intense, the crowd too large, and keep a sharp eye out for intoxicated patrons. In a nightclub setting the combination of too much alcohol, testosterone, and machismo can sometimes lead to physical fights over seemingly insignificant issues.

Job Requirements

The very nature of a bouncer’s job is to be confrontational and serious incidents can develop if mishandled. Before being turned loose into a disagreement between customers, bouncers need to have had training and preferably prior experience. When hiring a bouncer you must look for someone with the proper attitude and demeanor. You don’t want someone who is hot-headed or likes to fight. Thorough pre-employment screening is necessary to determine an applicant’s suitability for the job. For liability reasons, ex-felons should not be employed or anyone with a history of violence. The physical aspect is only one attribute essential for the job. Bouncers need to learn how to approach people in a non-threatening and professional manner. They need to learn about criminal and civil law applicable to use force against another and their power to arrest. Bouncers must also be taught about the limits of their authority and the amount of force that can be lawfully and safely applied.

Use of Force

Because of my work as a consultant, I am aware of incidents where bouncers have severely injured ejected customers. I have heard many stories about fights where bouncers have pummeled a customer while in the process of ejecting them from the premises. There have been cases where intoxicated customers have been killed after being taken into custody by bouncers by either asphyxiation or by use of deadly force. This is not supposed to happen.

There’s a common misconception that bouncers have authority to pick someone up and physically remove him or her from the premises for violating a club rule. It is believed that bouncers can use pain compliance holds, full-nelsons, choke holds, wrist locks, and arm bars to manhandle their patrons. This is generally not true. Simply stated bouncers cannot legally use force against unless they are taking someone into custody for a crime or in self-defense. When force is used it must be reasonable. That means no tackling, no punching, no kicking, no choking, no head butts, no piling on top, no hog-ties, and no pain compliance holds.

The authority of a bouncer, in most cases, is the same as any ordinary citizen. Bouncers have no special authority to physically eject a customer who merely becomes intoxicated or verbally obnoxious. As an employee of the nightclub, bouncers can only demand that the undesirable customer leave. If the customer refuses to leave your only legal recourse is to call the police. Sometimes a warning that the police will be called has the same effect causing the customer to depart. The police can remove an unwanted patron and issue a formal trespass warning not to return. In a few states, bouncers may legally use minimal force to remove a trespasser after being duely warned. If the customer returns after receiving this formal warning they are subject to arrest.

Deadly Restraints

A common liability issue involving bouncers has been the use of restraints and control holds to remove or subdue a patron. Bouncers have used various forms of headlocks and choke holds on disruptive customers and caused serious head and neck injuries, asphyxiation, and even death. Handcuffs have been inappropriately applied and in doing so caused broken arms, dislocated shoulders, and have cut off circulation to hands causing permanent damage.

Nightclub patrons have died from positional asphyxiation after being handcuffed from behind and then laid face down on the floor or from other bouncers piling on top. You can't breathe very well in that position especially if the victim is overweight. In most cases the offending bouncers were discovered to have no formal training or experience using handcuffs or control holds and weren’t told about positional asphyxiation. Watching the Worldwide Wrestling Federation or Extreme Fighting on TV is not considered proper training in use of force for nightclub bouncers or security personnel.

What’s Needed?

The hospitality industry needs to address these important security issues in their trade journal publications and at trade show seminars. Bouncers and door hosts need to be screened to weed out unsuitable applicants like violent felons. Real training should be provided to all those responsible for crowd control. Bouncers should have at least basic training in laws of arrest, verbal judo, first-aid, and even CPR if they are responsible for monitoring patron conduct and physically ejecting or arresting those who become obnoxious. Popular nightclubs should consider hiring off-duty police officers to work outside the front door to support the bouncers and act as a deterrent. Bouncers should be required to complete written reports and logs of activity where the police were called or a customer was contacted and asked to leave. These reports should be reviewed daily by club management and filed for future use in case a lawsuit is filed against the club.