: 1156011953

With violence and wild behavior at city nightclubs raising public attention, the City Council unanimously passed the first of several proposed new security measures Wednesday, mandating that bars and dancehalls must keep better track of the legal credentials of their bouncers.

Bouncers already fall under a provision that requires security guards to obtain an official license, a process that essentially screens potential applicants for violent criminal records. But a recent spate of assaults and murders involving unlicensed bouncers has led to concerns that bar owners are not checking their security’s qualifications.

The new law says that bar owners must “maintain and make available” proof that each bouncer is validly registered. A roster of all bouncers on duty during the establishment’s hours of operation must also be handy at all times, the law states.

An earlier version of the law had required bar owners to publicly display each bouncer’s credentials, but that provision was ultimately rolled back. Still, if an establishment violates the law three times within two years, it will lose its liquor license.

“Nightclub safety begins with the bouncers. They are the ones who decide who goes in, and more importantly who doesn’t,” said Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), who was a prime sponsor of the bill. “People look to them for help, especially those who are rendered vulnerable by alcohol.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), who represents a district that contains many prominent nightclubs, has proposed an initiative that would crack down on bar security by requiring ID screeners, security cameras and better training for staff members. She also hopes to create a new law enforcement unit meant to deal specifically with liquor license violations.

Other security measures currently are up for debate. Vallone wants larger clubs to be required to hire more bouncers. Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills), wants to outlaw bottle service, the practice of buying an entire bottle of liquor, because it makes people overly drunk.

The furor over club security started in March when college student Imette St. Guillen, 24, disappeared from a SoHo bar and ended up raped and murdered in Brooklyn. The prime suspect in that case, the bar’s bouncer Darrel Littlejohn, was later arrested in his Jamaica home.

In June, 19-year old Antonis Fasarakis died outside the Astoria nightclub Soma after an unlicensed bouncer struck him in the head. Public outrage from elected officials over both that case and repeated liquor violations recently led the state to close down that club.

“It has become appallingly clear that we can no longer rely on the judgment of night club personnel to appropriately screen patrons,” said Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans).