CINCINNATI, Ohio – The University of Cincinnati will purchase two vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) security barriers to deter threats posed by vehicles at large-scale events being held at Nippert Stadium.
Nippert Stadium hosts events that can attract more than 40,000 guests.
Related Article: Would Bollards Have Prevented the New Orleans Terror Attack?
A grant of $250,000 from the state of Ohio will pay for the VBIED security barriers, reports WLWT. The grant will also help pay for improved campus public safety communications at the University of Cincinnati.
Twenty-seven other institutions of higher education in Ohio besides the University of Cincinnati also just received funds from the state to bolster campus safety and security.
Recent Tragedies Put National Spotlight on Vehicle Security Barriers and Bollards
Barriers and bollards that prevent vehicles from accessing areas that host events with large crowds garnered renewed national and international attention this winter after the January 1 terrorist attack in which a man drove his truck down a packed thoroughfare in New Orleans, killing 14 people. Only a week before that, another man rammed his car into a crowded German Christmas market, killing five people and injuring more than 200 others.
It should be noted, however, that the University of Cincinnati requested the security barriers several months before the New Orleans or Magedenburg vehicle attacks.
It’s unclear what prompted the request for the VBIED security barriers, but an October 18 incident at Nippert Stadium highlighted the need for them. During that incident, a car drove onto the field to the 50-yard line, reports News Record.
Two of the three individuals involved in the October incident were University of Cincinnati students and were detained for an investigation. No damage or injuries were reported; however, the driver was cited for criminal mischief, criminal trespass, and some traffic offenses.