The bad news is the issue of terrorism is a fact of life in our lives and our children’s lives. The good news is awareness doesn’t have to bring fear. “You can reduce the fear by constantly developing ways to focus on the prevention of terrorism, either through intelligence gathering, certainly through improved collaboration and coordination between law enforcement, private security and venue ownership and through improved technology,” said Bill Bratton, executive chairman of Prevent Advisors and head of risk management at Teneo Holdings. Venues Today interviewed the former New York Police Department and Los Angeles Police Department Commissioner on what venue managers can do to protect the public and entertainers inside and outside the arena walls. Bratton says the most significant defense is actionable intelligence, a lot of which can be gathered through social media. “You can’t prevent it all, but you can certainly prevent a lot of it,” he said.
Has the terrorist attack at Manchester (U.K.) Arena in May changed the game for venue managers worldwide?
It certainly moved it to the front of the line. All stadium owners and managers need to have some concerns. Circumstances allow for a lot of review of existing procedures in place. Out of an awful tragedy came a number of positives, including the ability to reexamine systems with employees and see what might be improved and, by making changes and improvements, hopefully not have a repeat of what we saw in Manchester.
What do venue managers really need to be looking at now, the perimeter?
Security around these events is always multilayer — patrons and entertainers, the immediate vicinity of the stadium, contiguous public transportation, and even further out. In Manchester, the attacker determined it would be easy to attack in that outer perimeter rather than trying to get into the stadium. The idea is not to focus on just one aspect, but many layers that constitute perimeters of the event.
Is that the venue manager’s responsibility?
It’s a shared responsibility with law enforcement, a collaborative relationship. The private property is the responsibility of the venue owner/operator, but frequently they will seek to collaborate with public security entities, oftentimes bringing them into the event. In policing it’s called ‘paid detail,’ where police officers are paid to watch private property and assist in security. Many police agencies are monitoring social media to see if a threat is being directed against a particular event. That’s something private security in a venue also can do.
Who funds these security enhancements? Will more public funding be available?
That is case-by-case, city-by-city, state-by-state, country-by-country. In the U.S., we have the Department of Homeland Security Safety Act to help protect against catastrophic losses in the sense of lawsuits in the event of a terrorist attack. It protects facilities in the idea there have to be certain standards. In the event something happens, those venues have done all that can be expected. The U.S. Government is certifying they have complied with the protocols. Those protocols will be adjusted from time to time, because the federal government looks at every terrorist-related event and, unfortunately, at catastrophic naturally occurring events like fire, earthquakes, and other types of accidentally occurring conditions. You try to watch for everything so you don’t repeat mistakes over and over again.
Then Safety Act certification is one way to stay on top of the current protection tools? How else?
Oftentimes, insurance policies are a source of best practices. Insurers require certain protocols be complied with before they will give the appropriate liability insurance. Also, new design innovations — understand infrastructure design that can help facilitate exiting of a crowd or improved sightlines for various cameras. There are so many things that can be done going forward with the building of new stadiums and arenas, and modernization and modifications of existing ones. Also, the more security you have and more well known it is that the site has extensive security, which can displace the potential terrorist; they might go somewhere else. We’ve seen that firsthand here in New York, based on investigations we’ve done about terrorist activity potentially directed against some locations here in the city since 9/11. The security was such that the terrorist believed they could not successfully engage in action here. Displacement is also a part of what you’re seeking to do. You put up a sign at home you have a burglar alarm system; clearly you’re hoping they will go somewhere else.
What is the best way to publicize security precautions?
Greetings coming in, metal detector systems, camera systems and reminders to the public that all public spaces are monitored help. Good lighting capabilities are important. The number of security personnel helping people into the event should also be there to assist coming out of the event. Having clearly marked exits that can accommodate crowd surges is important. At Manchester, you saw a number of scenes of people jumping over railings and down 15-20 feet to get into narrow exit corridors. That’s something you try to learn from. How do you facilitate moving a crowd out during a terrorism emergency. In movie theaters now, as you watch the trailers, there will be ‘see something, say something’ reminders. At stadiums, if you see something out of the ordinary please report it.
What are some new design elements that will help protect people?
Intentional design includes a serious look at setbacks from the street and putting up barriers so you have ability to keep a vehicle away from the building proper. The idea of trying to protect where crowds will gather, where people line up, from being rammed by a vehicle is growing. There is no shortage of things that can be done, like insuring that the glass is not going to shatter if there is an explosion.
What are protocols beyond design that are cutting edge?
Dogs are very commonplace now. The old style was a wand dog that was trained to be pointed at something and check it out. The new generation are the vapor wake dogs. When I was commissioner, the NYPD acquired eight vapor wake dogs and is now looking at acquiring more. This friendly, tail-wagging dog can literally walk down a line of people and be able to detect explosives in a crowd of people without being pointed at it. That’s psychologically beneficial to people, a dog to protect but not the kind that creates fear. Broadway theaters here are going to vapor wake dogs. Technology is also evolving. It will allow detection of someone carrying a weapon by scanning a crowd of ticketholders. Artificial Intelligence helps to identify traits of people in the crowd, using unobtrusive types of systems that, over time, will be very beneficial. Even the issue now of drones being used to drop bombs in crowds — there is drone defense technology to put protection around a facility to keep a drone from coming in.
Is there a point where all these security measures scare people away?
You have to look at what level you want to provide in your venue. Some areas are opting for very visible uniformed officers with long guns; others are still working with the blue blazer model. The idea of significant security going into a venue —vapor wake dogs, metal screening, bag searches, prohibitions against bringing in bags — these are all things the public has learned to accept. In my experience, if the public understands you’re doing it for the greater good, they are willing to deal with the inconvenience because it raises the comfort level rather than the fear level. They can enjoy the show and not worry.
What about the expense of all these security enhancements?
Technology helps pare expenses down. A vapor wake dog, the screening that dog can do, is extraordinarily cost effective. It’s a balance of cost versus benefit. If the public feels there is a benefit, one of the things that will offset cost is increased ticket prices and municipality taxes. Look at sports teams. Some spend hundreds of millions of dollars on talent acquisition and some don’t have the money and spend less. This is where the Safety Act comes in. Anyone who can advertise they are Safety Act compliant, it’s the seal of approval, if you will. The Safety Act is fairly stringent and gives you some sense of staying abreast of the current state of the art.
Some venue managers have said they feel seeing snipers on the roof to deter active shooters would scare the public. Do you agree?
That’s an individual decision. There is no recommendation on that. At every Super Bowl or at the Oscars, you are going to see snipers on the roof. In America today, and in the world of today, officers with long gun capabilities are very common. London, a city that always prided itself on unarmed police, has recently significantly increased the number of very visible police carrying weapons. The NYPD increased the number of long guns in the department from several hundred to 4,000. It’s a fact of life. You have to increase your level of response and prevention capabilities.