News Article: November 13, 2007
TreoScope's EnterSafe transforming Vancouver's nightlife
November 13, 2007
Tim Lai
Vancouver’s Granville Street doesn’t have that same atmosphere as it once did. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s been labeled a “ticking time bomb” as fights consistently littered the clubs and the streets – and so, there needed to be something different. The longtime establishments are still there and the partying continues, but there’s a new mindset. The bright neon lights of the strip now flood a refreshed entertainment district, an avenue in which nightlife is once again thriving and safety is a top priority thanks in part to a new sense of cooperation.
TreoScope Technologies, the Vancouver-based software company, has been at the forefront of this transformation. Its EnterSafe system, which scans the IDs of all patrons – and even employees in some cases – has been purchased by every bar and club on the boulevard after word-of-mouth and substantial results began spreading among the community. The technology is positioned throughout the Lower Mainland in more than eighty establishments and continues to attract new owners.
EnterSafe has not only deterred potential troublemakers away, it has been a catalyst in improving communication for those in the nightlife industry through its networking software. It has also bridged together all the stakeholders including city officials and police to create the best possible atmosphere for patrons.
“It’s the number one tool to provide accountability,” said Vance Campbell, vice-president of the industry association Barwatch, which includes all the bars and clubs on Granville Street, and someone who has been in the Vancouver entertainment scene for 45 years. “Anybody who has the system in place has noticed a remarkable decrease in the number of violent offenses in their premises. People won’t go to a place where they don’t feel safe in.” It has also helped prevent minors from using fake IDs and passing them back and forth and has put a potential face to those who may want to tamper with drinks.
EnterSafe’s instantaneous ID verification and documentation of any North American driver’s license made its trial debut at a handful of bars and clubs in 2004. It quickly established a reputation for dissuading unfavourable patrons who didn’t want to be held responsible for their actions. Their basic information such as the time of entry and a live photo is stored on a secure server and can only be accessed if police present a warrant to the TreoScope and the bar. The logs are purged two years after creation.
“If people know that their ID has been scanned, they tend to behave better,” said Greg Bell, owner of the Wild Coyote, one of the first clubs to utilize EnterSafe. “I think that anybody in the nightclub business should have it.” This level of accountability – every click and swipe on EnterSafe is audited – created a ripple effect within the industry and owners quickly latched onto the system when it officially launched in 2006 to keep potential problems out of their premises. The attention the system has received is similar to another deterrent initiative with high public awareness: the Bait Car Program, a successful police and insurance industry project that have helped lower auto theft rates in the province.
“We clean bars up overnight,” said Owen Cameron, president of TreoScope. “With a system like ours, you got that initial deterrence. You know that if you do cause a problem, the police, with a warrant, can get that information and prove that it was you.”
Before EnterSafe was released, surveillance cameras provided the most accountability, but even those weren’t necessarily reliable. Campbell recalled a shooting at a club in Gastown in which gang members entered the premises and began firing their guns. Patrons, in a panic, fled the scene and police were unable to find witnesses to assist in the case since the video couldn’t put a name to the patron. Campbell noted that EnterSafe would have been a useful tool since police could have gone back to locate partygoers that night.
When TreoScope unveiled software in 2007 to network EnterSafe throughout all the bars and clubs, it further connected the industry beyond neighbouring bars and the downtown core. Stand-alone bars, which could have been the new destination of troublemakers looking to escape the accountability, didn’t become their new watering holes. Bars and clubs from the suburbs to downtown became empowered to share information and flag unruly patrons and minors trying to sneak in.
The Wild Coyote in south Vancouver has been noted as a success story for how EnterSafe has helped rid itself of unruly patrons and how a stand-alone club can prosper outside an entertainment district. “We’ve had it for so long that we don’t have violence anymore. Can I attribute it to the system? Yes, we can attribute quite a bit of it to the system,” said Bell. “If you are on the TreoScope system, it helps with your insurance as well. In our case, it looks better in the eyes of the underwriters on the insurance and they sometimes give a better deal.”
Bell added that it’s rare any patrons raise concerns about having their ID swiped given the word-of-mouth and media attention the system has received. Even older patrons, who obviously aren’t minors, are fine with the system and said it’s a good idea, according to Bell. “Out of the patrons I’ve polled, none mind using the EnterSafe system. It seems people appreciate going to an establishment that makes them feel safer. That is precisely the kind of clientele I’m trying to attract,” said Bell. The instant photo and age verification has also been credited with shortening lineups and helping flag VIPs, since it can show how many times the person has visited the bar.
Because EnterSafe does not register an address, the system is not used for marketing purposes unlike many handheld scanning devices that strip an ID of all its information when swiped at a club. Some bar owners have tried photocopying IDs, however this security measure is not effective in terms of giving police or management reliable evidence needed for an investigation. “There’s no need for address extraction in a security system,” said Cameron. “I don’t have a competitor that came from the foundation of security. Every one of my competitors started off with the logics of marketing, with a side of security.”
TreoScope’s technology has prompted further communication between all the stakeholders, thereby creating a new level of commitment not seen in Vancouver up until now. “What Vancouver has done by leaps and bounds is open up communication lines between the city, the police and the bar association. They have been working together in ways that I have not seen in a densely populated entertainment district,” said Cameron.
Sgt. Curtis Robinson of the Vancouver Police Department, the point man working with Barwatch, said the once adversarial relationship between the police and bar owners has drastically changed. Instead of officers conducting zero-tolerance enforcement and owners doing anything they can to make money, both sides are working together to look out for the public good since EnterSafe can hold the key information for all parties to ensure a safe environment.
“Since installing the TreoScope system, our relationship with the police has greatly improved,” said Bell. “I spoke to an officer recently who said he hadn't been called to my bar for quite a while, and assumed it was because business was slow. I assured them that we were busier than ever and that EnterSafe was the reason for the improved safety.”
Vancouver city councilor Kim Capri, who represents the area that encompasses the Granville Street strip, said she has done a lot of research into EnterSafe and is very open to the system. She added that the entertainment district is experiencing positive transformation with city policy changes, new police approaches and a paradigm shift among nightlife industry. Capri said that residents and business owners in the area have responded favourably to the adjustments.
As some bars have seen decreases in violence up to 90 per cent, it may be difficult to measure the monetary success since the various stakeholders have invested so much money to affect the strip. “Prevention is something very hard to measure on a budget sheet,” said Capri, who must deal with police and city budgets.
Bar owners have poured tens of thousands of dollars into tools such as EnterSafe or extra third-party security to work alongside police, and these investments have people talking positively. “They’re willing to invest thousands of dollars into our system, of which gives them zero gains on that bottom line, but they do it because it makes it safer,” said Cameron. “When you put in our system, it’s a pretty clear sign that you’re stepping in the right direction and the police know that. When the police have a problem, they know you have the right system to help them.”
Even before Vancouver welcomes the world in 2010 for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the city is already garnering attention for its commitment to create a vibrant and safe nightlife. Stakeholders across Canada and the U.S. have started to take notice and are inquiring about how to make positive changes. As communication and cooperation continues between bar owners, the city and police, in part with TreoScope’s EnterSafe, Vancouver can perhaps add another sparkling point to its already illustrious reputation on the world scene.
Tim Lai is a Vancouver-based writer. He has been a reporter for the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Edmonton Journal.