Havelka and two members of his T-shirt security team.

It had it all--thousands of screaming fans, one of the biggest rock bands ever formed, Rolling Stone magazine covering the event and a camera crew filming it all for posterity. But the Rolling Stones’ 1969 free concert at Altamont Speedway quickly became synonymous with disaster when security guards — the Hells Angels — went over the edge and killed a young concertgoer.

While the bikers were brawny and no doubt affordable, Mick and Keith could have avoided the tragedy by following some basic best practices in hiring security staff, including considering numbers needed, employment policies, licensing and insurance, and training.

For municipally owned venues, there often is a list of approved security companies, and the city can help determine how many officers to use.

“Your concert might require 60 people, or it might need 100,” says Chris Havelka, president of Portland-Ore.-based Ace Events Service. Sometimes the idea is to protect the venue from the acts as much as controlling the crowds. “If Insane Clown Posse is coming, you know that you need a lot of security because they’re a hard show to run,” explains Havelka. “A good rule of thumb is one guard per hundred people. But if it’s an outdoor jazz concert, you can cut that in half, and if it’s a rock concert, you need at least that, possibly more.”

Employment policies also are crucial. Some companies hire scrappy people, by drawing guards from the Labor Ready offices, rehab programs and even soup kitchens. The best outsourcers compile a large list and can tell a client where the names obtained and what the screening process was. “Where do you hire? And don’t just tell me you have a big list. How did you get that big list? Those are the questions,” says Havelka.

Since most of the work is part-time and driven by what events are coming to town, some companies keep incomplete books, or worse, pay security guards in cash as needed. This can be problematic for the client: a lack of proper accounting means there’s no way to track the workers if something goes wrong. “It’s better if everybody is an employee, and the client can hold you accountable,” says Havelka.

When guards are not employees, there is an opportunity for security companies to overcharge. “Rather than charging for the people that are there, owners can write additional names down on extra time sheets, and you wouldn’t know,” says Havelka. “Or maybe there was a call for 300 people, but they were 75 short, but they billed them anyway.”

Another consideration is licensing and insurance. State licensing bureaus field complaints about security companies. If a promoter uses an unlicensed operator, there’s no recourse in the event of overcharging or other issues.

The first thing to do is verify the security company is registered as a business, with a business license. Also, all states have a department for specifically licensing security companies. In Oregon, for example, there are multiple departments and “mini boards.” Meanwhile, Washington has only one agency — the Department of Licensingwhich handles everything from security to dog grooming. It’s important the security company has all the licenses required for the locale. Cities have different requirements for the types of licenses needed, and there are daily and yearly licenses. State or municipal law often requires supervisors to be licensed, so the staff is directly under someone who knows the law.

“There are many companies operating illegally, although they are required to get a license and show that [they’ve] learned the laws of the state as far as the security operation,” says Havelka. “This especially happens in small towns, events in parks and so on.” He adds that even if a company operates on the up an up, without a license the insurance company is unlikely to pay should one of security staff injure someone.

Speaking of insurance, it’s always a good idea to check if they have a current policy. “Some companies don’t maintain insurance because they’ve lost it every year due to claims that are unacceptable — they slug someone and have to pay, and the insurance company drops them,” he says. “That’s a red flag.”

Insurance responsibility can be indicative of a firm’s professionalism. $2 million in insurance coverage is a good round number for any show, says Havelka Finally, officers should have training on state arrest and detainment laws, and on the rules of engagement. A concertgoer and a patron at a museum event expect different attitudes from the security staff, for instance.

“Mainly, we train people not to hurt or get hurt,” says Havelka. “We’ve done about 150 concerts, big and small, and we’ve ejected close to 2,000 people, with no reported injury by our employees. Taking people down is not what we do. Our job is to keep the crowd calm and deescalate everything.”

What is the lesson for those hiring Tshirt security staff for concerts and other events? Drunk bikers with a history of violence, no. Licensed, trained staff, yes. “There are roofing companies that don’t register, and there are gardening companies that don’t keep much in the way of books,” says Havelka. “If all you want is someone to mow your lawn, sure, the kid across the street can do it for $5 an hour, no problem. But when you get into complicated things, like detaining people from going certain places and possibly injuring them, it’s critical the [ducks are in a row].”