After Midnight!

11 Sept 08

Crowd-control tips from my friend in TX who is head-bouncer at a big Club:

"We had yet another 'incident' at the Club last Saturday night and early Sunday morning. It is truly said: 'Nothing good happens after midnight!'

Shortly after midnight, a group of fifteen men, all attending a bachelor party, became loud and acrimonious. Four of them climbed up on one of our stages during a performance, started 'dancing,' and refusedto leave. They were approached by one of my floor-men and politely asked to come down off the stage and sit back down at their table. To a man, they loudly declined, which resulted in my uniformed people, and me, being summoned.

My security personnel took physical control of these four problem-children and began to move them toward the lobby and ultimately out of the building. The balance of the bachelor party simultaneously got up from their table and followed closely behind, shouting threats and pressing forward. Verbal commands from me kept them at bay until we reached the doors, when it became obvious that we were about to unceremoniously jettison the four miscreants. We were then precipitously attacked by the entire party!

None of them were armed, but fists were flying, along with plenty of insults and spittle! My Panther ERD (Electronic Restraint Device) effectively moved people back and gave me the room I needed to communicate with my people, using hand signals. However, 'bargain' ERDs, used by my uniformed folks, were second-rate and underpowered. I observed them to have scant effect on aggravated combatants. They're just not sufficiently scary! My Panther unit is loud, and it stings, with authority. It immediately garners the undivided attention of even the biggest, most agitated aggressor! By contrast, wimpy units are worthless! They fail to get anyone's attention. We confirmedthat, in spades! Had we all been equipped with Panthers, I'm confident theentire matter would have been promptly extinguished, and all participants broughtunder control, much sooner.

We gradually got the last of the combatants out the door. Sheriff's officers arrived just as the offending party was departing in their limo. The limo was stopped, and all were arrested. They were charged with criminal mischief and assault. Our local SO has extremely low tolerance for such things. For these rowdys, it turned into an expensive evening!

Tasers would not be helpful in our situation, since we don't arrest people. In fact, the last thing we want is someone horizontal, paralyzed, and immobile lying on the floor! We need a way to quickly move people toward the door, who are not otherwise inclined to do so. We need to be able to separate combatants, get people's attention, and instantly create distance between us and them. For that task, high-powered, contact ERDs, like the Panther, are absolutely indispensable!

In the wake of this incident, management has 'suddenly' become interested in new equipment and a written, Security Policy Manual. I am now in process of updating the one I submitted months ago, but, at that time, was told wasn't needed!"

Comment: There is no substitute for having the right tools, and training, for the job! Poor tools, combined with poor training, predictably yield poor results. African hunter and adventurer, Bob Ruark, many years ago, reminded us, "Use enough gun!" He knew of what he spoke!

Indeed, "Nothing 'good' happens after midnight." You can bet on it! For those of us who enjoy an occasional sampling a night-life, remember what happened to Cinderella! Depart for home before the "after-midnight" crowd arrives. Security folks refer to them as "creepy-crawlers," for good reason!

/John