Former Deja Vu CEO Ryan Carlson offers insight into how owners and operators can modernize their club’s security culture.
(Note: This article was written by Ryan Carlson and appears in the July 2026 issue of ED Magazine.)
“Earn $100,000 per year!” That was the average salary (including “tips”) advertised to security “hosts” at the first Las Vegas club I operated. Back then, that was a lot of money for a security employee of any kind, but it was a poorly thought-out program that prioritized employee income over the club’s bottom line. It wasn’t sustainable long term.
Like with any major change one tries to implement within a long-standing industry, there was pushback at every angle when someone tried to update club security operations. Employees and managers are often foolish in thinking the “old way” is the only way, and I have found that security-related matters usually fall squarely within this manner of antiquated thinking.
Fortunately, today’s club environment requires considerably better security employees guided by a much stronger program, the highlights of which are below.
The cost of getting it wrong
First and foremost, why are better security employees vital in today’s clubs? Because we operate in an increasingly litigious environment. If there’s an altercation on property, there’s a 50% chance it will result in a lawsuit, and depending on the municipality, it may lead to a licensing issue as well. When a club doesn’t have a knowledgeable and well-trained security team on hand, it leaves them vulnerable to costly legal issues.
Over the years, many owners with inadequate security have told me they’ve never had a lawsuit, only to end up being sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars. There have been many owners who’ve said they’ve never had issues with the city, and later got shut down for an altercation in their parking lot. A few owners I’ve known found themselves virtually uninsurable due to past security incidents, resulting in premiums that were tens of thousands of dollars higher than what anyone else was paying. You can help avoid legal issues by employing competent security employees who understand the laws, policies and culture needed to properly handle these situations.
“The most important trait to look for in a security applicant is temperament. If you hire a macho man intent on starting fights, that is the result you will get.”
— Ryan Carlson
Rethinking the bouncer model
Consider a stereotypical nightclub security employee. They would likely be called a “bouncer,” wear a t-shirt to work, be on steroids and have the manners of a Stone Age caveman. These kinds of employees are entirely counterproductive and only contribute to problems. One’s behavior and interactions with others begin with how they present themselves.
Simply upgrading their title to “VIP Host,” implementing a professional dress code that includes a nice jacket and shoes at minimum and including some training in basic greetings, thank-yous and other common courtesies go a long way in preventing problems and delivering a better guest experience. It’s best to avoid hiring those who have the “bouncer” attitude out of the gate.
The realities of armed security
If you’re considering placing armed security outside of your club, you should first ask yourself this: What are you doing to attract the kind of clientele that makes you feel like you need armed security? Is your parking lot and club exterior well lit? Are you hiring dancers or other employees who encourage this clientele to loiter? Are you allowing the wrong guests into the club? Generally, making good operational decisions eliminates the need for outside or armed security altogether.
In the event you do need them, remember that your general liability insurance policy likely prohibits such a contractor without the carrier’s written approval and may even preclude firearms on the premises under any circumstance. If you do proceed, check with your carrier and make sure there is an iron-clad contract in place with a registered and licensed security company that includes a strong risk transfer provision.
Most importantly, be sure that the club is an additional insured on the security company’s insurance policy with notice of cancellation and assault & battery endorsements clearly listed. Then, call the carrier yourself to ensure that the certificate and all its endorsements are valid. Your carrier will likely deny a claim if there is an incident involving an outside security company, so you absolutely must be able to rely on the security company’s policy!
Personality matters
The most important trait to look for in a security applicant is temperament. By employing only lovable teddybears who have the right demeanor in the first place, most of your problems will be solved. If you hire a macho man intent on starting fights, that is the result you will get. If you hire someone who is calm and has good social skills, you will be much better off.
Experience has taught me that even in the worst of altercations, most people can be talked down. A good technique when trying to resolve an issue is to suggest we step outside so we can hear one another. Usually the change of environment and a separation from the other parties can resolve the issue on its own.
Clear use of force policy
A successful applicant must completely agree with the club’s Use of Force Policy, both in theory and practice. A club’s policy on physical altercations should be simple and plainly stated, signed by each security employee and reinforced as part of the employee culture. The use of force against any person must be strictly limited to situations where retreat is not possible, and even then only in defense of oneself or others, and such force must be of equal or lesser force compared to that of the other party.
This means that use of force is often only defensible if the victimized party cannot retreat from the situation. In short, if a nut job is outside and nobody else is in the parking lot, locking yourself inside and calling the police is much smarter than going out in the parking lot and voluntarily engaging in a fistfight.
Any use of force can only be deployed in direct defense of oneself or others; hence, a verbal insult does not give an employee license to punch a guest. Lastly, a guest who open-palm slaps you cannot be punched three times in the face, nor can a guest refusing to leave the premises but posing no physical threat be carried out in a chokehold.
Absolute no-no’s
Common sense is another vital skill to look for. Chokeholds and “knee on neck” disabling techniques are virtually never defensible civilly or criminally. If a police officer can go to prison for employing these techniques, you can rest assured you will not win a similar lawsuit or felony charge under any circumstance.
It should also be noted that handcuffing or undertaking a “citizen’s arrest” has resulted in criminal charges against club employees under the guise of kidnapping. If somebody is trying to flee your premises (even if they just stole $5,000), shooting them in the back, tasing them or otherwise attempting to disable or capture them as they are running away from you is likely indefensible. Leave that to the police. Further, employees possessing guns, knives or bulletproof vests are often disallowed altogether by many insurance polices, send the entirely wrong signals and are likely to lead to unnecessary escalations.
“Instituting a culture where your security employees think of themselves as smoke detectors instead of fire extinguishers goes a very long way.”
— Ryan Carlson
Proactive security solutions
Instituting a culture where your security employees think of themselves as smoke detectors instead of fire extinguishers goes a very long way. In other words, preventing problems is always better than having to solve them. Creating a culture of consistent policies and ongoing training and reinforcement makes this easy.
For example, guests should always be wanded using a metal detector and all ID’s should be scanned. “Regulars” and “older guests” should not be exempted from these policies, nor should a pat-down be permitted as a sufficient substitute, as both of these deviations rely too much on the employee’s discretion. Further, there are services that offer very economical security training webinars on a regular basis that all employees can attend that help reinforce common sense practices.
In conclusion, there are many so-called security employees who simply have egos too large to follow these best practices and are often looking to pick a fight, and those are the folks you need to avoid. Similarly, there are many owners who simply do not prioritize security matters for various reasons. This will inevitably result in problems for club owners. Hiring the right security employees, enforcing the right policies and creating the right culture will prevent you from unexpectedly losing your entire business because some juiced-up, moronic meathead employee curb stomped one of your customers.
Ryan Carlson is the retired CEO of Deja Vu. His family still owns many adult clubs and bookstores nationally.
