Police will ease up on ticketing nightspots for minor violations in return for the clubs’ promise to provide a “safe nightlife atmosphere,” officials said yesterday.
“This will improve safety in and around the clubs and prevent illegal and dangerous activities,” said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
In return for a looser rein from police, nightclub managers have agreed to follow a series of safety and security guidelines aimed at encouraging crime reports and improving security at their businesses.
Clubs have often complained that when they report incidents, arriving cops write them tickets for minor violations that make it harder for clubs to renew their liquor licenses and other permits.
Kelly said one of the Police Department’s aims in endorsing the guidelines is “to not penalize a club for calling.” Police have been instructed to issue citations only if they detect a pattern of disturbances at a particular club, he said.
“No establishment has to fear calling the police again,” said Robert Bookman, counsel to the New York Nightlife Association, an organization of bars and clubs.
The extensive guidelines also include suggestions for hiring security personnel. Clubs should have one “licensed and trained security guard” for every 75 customers.
Also, the guidelines suggest clubs use scanners to track customers’ IDs and maintain a “banned list” database of customers who have been booted from their premises. “These patrons should not be allowed subsequent re-entry,” the guidelines say.
Police “strongly” recommend that clubs use ID scanning machines.
“They are extremely helpful in recording who is entering the establishment,” the guidelines say.
Also, the rules say that no one under 21 should be admitted to clubs that serve liquor, except during hours when the clubs are operated primarily as restaurants.
The guidelines also suggest installing digital security cameras inside and outside, and that videos be saved and pro- vided to police responding to crimes.
Some clubs already have plenty of cameras. Lotus, a restaurant and club in the Meatpacking District, has more 40 security cameras which its owners say are needed to defend against patrons’ injury lawsuits as well as provide security.
If clubs use metal detectors, all their customers should be checked – “and VIPs, DJs, entourages, etc. should not receive special treatment,” the guidelines say.
The written guidelines were set up in response to some high-profile nightclub crimes, including the 2006 murders of John Jay College student Imette St. Guillen and New Jersey teen Jennifer Moore.