Birmingham AL May 17 2013 It's not unusual for violence -- sometimes deadly violence -- to break out in Birmingham nightclubs, but give Birmingham City Councilman Johnathan Austin and his colleagues credit for being proactive in doing something about it.
The City Council this week unanimously passed an ordinance mandating more security, reporting and training for workers at nightclubs around the city. By law, all clubs must have security cameras covering interior and exterior areas. Club owners have to file a security plan with the Birmingham Police Department. And they must file written reports of violent events at their clubs.
The ordinance also mandates training for workers on using the security cameras and on being able to retrieve images from them. The amount of security each club requires is based on the occupancy of the club.
The ordinance shouldn't surprise any club owner; this new law has been in the works since 2010. In 2011, Austin wrote a letter to owners of bars, nightclubs and event centers warning them of the city's get-tough policy on nightclub violence.
For too long, city leaders appeared to tolerate clubs where violence was a regular occurrence. Then, on the morning of July 5, 2008, a shooting in the parking lot of Banana Joe's at Five Points South killed two men and wounded two others. In 2009, a man was stabbed to death at Club Zen on Morris Avenue. Other night clubs, including the Continental Ballroom, Galaxy Magic in the Night event center and L.R. Hall event center have been closed by the city as public nuisances.
Clearly, when a nightclub is regularly the setting for violence and crime, it's a public nuisance. If club owners can't control their customers and businesses and provide a secure setting, they deserve to lose their ability to operate.
The ordinance passed this week is reasonable. When people go to a nightclub for fun and dancing, they can now be confident the club has adequate security in place to prevent violence. There is a requirement that violent events within a club be reported to the police in writing within 36 hours and that security officers also must be properly trained.
The ordinance applies to existing clubs as well as new clubs. Existing nightclubs will have 45 days to comply with the ordinance.
As Austin said this week: "If you can afford to have security officers, I can't afford to lose another life because of the lack of enforcement."
While nothing can prevent violence in nightclubs 100 percent, this ordinance should help cut back on violence and shine the light on those venues where it continues to be a problem.
Source-AL. com
The City Council this week unanimously passed an ordinance mandating more security, reporting and training for workers at nightclubs around the city. By law, all clubs must have security cameras covering interior and exterior areas. Club owners have to file a security plan with the Birmingham Police Department. And they must file written reports of violent events at their clubs.
The ordinance also mandates training for workers on using the security cameras and on being able to retrieve images from them. The amount of security each club requires is based on the occupancy of the club.
The ordinance shouldn't surprise any club owner; this new law has been in the works since 2010. In 2011, Austin wrote a letter to owners of bars, nightclubs and event centers warning them of the city's get-tough policy on nightclub violence.
For too long, city leaders appeared to tolerate clubs where violence was a regular occurrence. Then, on the morning of July 5, 2008, a shooting in the parking lot of Banana Joe's at Five Points South killed two men and wounded two others. In 2009, a man was stabbed to death at Club Zen on Morris Avenue. Other night clubs, including the Continental Ballroom, Galaxy Magic in the Night event center and L.R. Hall event center have been closed by the city as public nuisances.
Clearly, when a nightclub is regularly the setting for violence and crime, it's a public nuisance. If club owners can't control their customers and businesses and provide a secure setting, they deserve to lose their ability to operate.
The ordinance passed this week is reasonable. When people go to a nightclub for fun and dancing, they can now be confident the club has adequate security in place to prevent violence. There is a requirement that violent events within a club be reported to the police in writing within 36 hours and that security officers also must be properly trained.
The ordinance applies to existing clubs as well as new clubs. Existing nightclubs will have 45 days to comply with the ordinance.
As Austin said this week: "If you can afford to have security officers, I can't afford to lose another life because of the lack of enforcement."
While nothing can prevent violence in nightclubs 100 percent, this ordinance should help cut back on violence and shine the light on those venues where it continues to be a problem.
Source-AL. com