Event Security Tips and Tactics For Public Safety Officers

Making a security plan for events, practicing it and changing it according to new technology is the only way to ensure execution.
Published: April 15, 2016

After Super Bowl 50, March Madness and with the 2016 presidential race continuing, event security is responsible for lots of sleepless nights among public safety officials these days. Whether or not your school, university or hospital ever hosts an event rising to the level of a National Special Security Event as designated by the Department of Homeland Security, today’s societal realities require increased diligence and smarter risk management.

We have to change our mindset from one of denial, as in “it won’t happen here,” to one of preparedness. Institutions that do not have a comprehensive, proactive event security plan remain vulnerable and risk the subsequent fallout, including loss of life, litigation and public backlash.

Preparing for special events from a public safety and security standpoint adds additional complexity to ongoing campus security operations. But major events like VIP speeches and rock concerts are planned in advance, creating ample opportunity to prepare, explains Robert Connolly, chief of police for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

Last year, Georgia Tech hosted President Barack Obama in March and rock music legends the Rolling Stones in June. Based on his experience in security operations for such high-profile events as these, plus the 1992 Olympics and numerous Super Bowl and NCAA games over a 25-year career in law enforcement, Connolly says the fundamentals underpinning event security are having a plan and exercising that plan, because “words on paper have limited value if they aren’t tested.”

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The Planning Never Ends
Security failures occur due to inadequate vulnerability assessments, poor planning against identified risks and lack of training and evaluation, says Jim Minninger, director of professional services for Integrated Security Systems in Harleysville, Pa., and a retired police sergeant.

“It’s important to take an all-hazards approach to identify anything that can affect business [or campus] continuity,” he says. “Crisis preparation is a living, breathing process that should never be static. Constant review and improvement is key, especially because the human element is the weak link.”

The first few minutes of an emergency are critical in determining the outcome, so both onsite and offsite responders need to know what’s happening, where it’s happening, who it’s affecting and what should be done in response. Human error can prevent fluid crisis response by impeding communication, which in turn leads to confusion, panic, delayed responses and costly mistakes. Such risks are amplified when hundreds – or thousands – of additional people convene for a special event.

Organizations such as the NFL and NCAA have very specific security requirements that their host venues must adhere to, as does the Secret Service if an event necessitates their involvement. They have developed detailed plans and protocols over time, and they continue to practice their skills and adjust their tactics accordingly.

For example, the Paris terror attacks in November have prompted police to change how they respond to an active shooter by “going forward” rather than standing back to negotiate. Washington, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in a CBS interview that police departments are also now telling the public to “run, hide or fight” to increase the chance of surviving an active shooter. She acknowledged that’s a big, but necessary, shift from the “don’t intervene, call 9-1-1” mantra of days gone by.

“You can’t be complacent,” Connolly notes. “Security threats, tactics and technology are dynamic, so campuses have to change with them.”

Therefore, you need to evaluate and test all of your regular security measures in addition to what is required for a special event. For instance, how will you credential media? How will you manage both vehicle and pedestrian traffic? What about transportation and parking? Are you equipped for medical emergencies? Connolly also stresses the importance of vetting and training event staff, volunteers and vendors.

RELATED: Preparing for Presidential Campaigns and Protests on Campus

“Communicate, collaborate and coordinate,” adds Connolly. Hold regular meetings and work with other schools and law enforcement agencies in the region to share resources and best practices. But Minninger cautions against just cutting and pasting another institution’s policies and procedures into your own organization’s plans.

“Your security and emergency operations plans have to be specific to your campus and its unique characteristics and vulnerabilities, then evaluate their success by testing them and making necessary changes.”

Table-top, functional and full-scale exercises should be part of training. Postevent reviews also are critical, according to Connolly. These will be required by the likes of the NCAA, but “any campus should make such after-action reports a standard practice.”

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