When it comes to nightclub safety, experts agree nothing beats a well-trained security staff.

"We had trained door staff that would pat people down and would check for any kind of weapons," said Robin Fernandez, who owned the former Rosebud and Metropol nightclubs.

Mr. Fernandez, now managing partner of the Bossa Nova restaurant on Seventh Street, Downtown, says in the 17 years he operated Pittsburgh nightclubs he never had any incidents as serious as the shootings early Monday morning at the Touch nightclub in the Strip District.

In addition to the in-house security staff, uniformed and plainclothes police officers also worked security at his clubs.

"We tried to take every possible avenue out there for us to secure the space," Mr. Fernandez said. "Our managers were always trained to watch and keep their eyes on anything out of the ordinary. I think it's pretty fair to say that we were pretty well known for our security efforts."

He said staff are trained to read people so that potential problem patrons can be stopped at the door.

"[Clues] could be the way they were dressed, it could be the way they're acting, if they have backpacks or things that feel unusual when they were patted down," he said.

Nightclub security expert Robert Smith, a San Diego police detective, said most club owners are reactive instead of pro-active.

"The problem is the business is driven by money and regulations," said Mr. Smith, owner of Hospitality Security Alliance, formerly Nightclub Security.

For example, if a club owner notices people waiting for their drink orders to be taken, that owner will hire another server to get the orders and thus the money.

"Well, with security there is no instant gain," Mr. Smith said. "Not until there is a lawsuit or a shooting or bad publicity does he think he should have hired another bouncer."

He said he advises club owners to do background checks on all employees but especially those handling security.

"A majority of owners -- 80-90 percent -- do not do background checks because it costs them money," he said.

And once security personnel are hired, they need to be trained, he added.

Unlike some who blame hip-hop music for prompting violent outbreaks at clubs, Mr. Smith does not.

"I think all ages and races listen to hip-hop, but it's how you handle yourself at the door," he said.

Clubs need to have strictly enforced dress codes that don't allow baggy clothing, hoodies, baseball caps or similar attire.

"If my dress code is so lax that I let a person appear to be straight out of the 'hood, I'm inviting trouble," he said.

Club owners have to create the element that doesn't foster trouble, Mr. Smith said. Part of that is also having the right number of security staff to do the job.

He cited the Key Club at the Morongo Casino in Palm Springs, Calif., as an example of a place that has more than adequate security staff. The club has 19 security guards -- whether there are 100 patrons or 500.

"When you have that many guards, it's like having police in the neighborhood," Mr. Smith said.