New Measures for NYC Clubs

A New York City council member is pushing for a coordinated effort by law enforcement, club owners and community leaders to make nightlife safer.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn co-chaired a nightlife-security meeting September 28th at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Prosecutors said a former female graduate student of the school was reportedly raped and killed by a bouncer after leaving a bar February 25th, the Star-Ledger reported.

The meeting served as a forum for discussing ways to improve club, street and transportation safety and brought new safety legislation to the table, designed to work in conjunction with a recently passed nightclub law, according to a statement.

The “Bouncer Bill” was initiated August 16th, requiring clubs to hire only licensed security personnel. Establishments that don’t comply with the legislation could lose their cabaret (or dancing) licenses or, in a worst-case scenario, be deemed public nuisances and shut down.

New proposals include requiring ID verification scanners and security cameras at club entrances, and establishing higher training standards for cabaret employees to spot underage drinkers, handle emergencies and judge when to stop serving customers drinks. The council also proposed that clubs that repeatedly violate the new measures should be required to hire independent safety monitors – and pay them out of their own pockets.

“We do not have the safest nightlife in the world,” Quinn told the Star-Ledger. “I believe that is a possibility. I know that we can make nightlife safer in the city of New York.”