After the largest mass shooting in United States history occurred last week at a Las Vegas music festival, the Auburn Police Division will continue to evaluate security at large events in the Auburn area.
According to Chief of Police Paul Register, the Auburn Police Division plans to take the Las Vegas shooting and other national tragedies into consideration when making future improvements to local safety, especially on game days.
“Security measures in and around Jordan-Hare Stadium are assessed and improved each season,” Register said. “The police division continually works with local, state and federal partners to gather intelligence and be proactive regarding trends and matters of safety on the local and national level.”
Some recent security changes for game days include the clear bag policy and use of detection K-9s. All large-scale events, including football games and concerts, have a large staff from approximately 15 local, state and federal agencies.
Though many security measures like those are obvious to the average citizen, the police division also utilizes unseen measures that are specific to each individual event.
On Oct. 1, Stephen Paddock opened fire onto a concert from his hotel room in the Mandalay Bay resort and casino. Fifty-eight were killed in the attack and almost 500 were injured. Police found 24 firearms in his room.
Though Auburn is not as large of a city as Las Vegas, Register said the Auburn Police Division recognizes that anything could happen here and they need to be prepared for it.
“National security is no longer a national problem. Local and state agencies are now on the front line in the prevention of large scale crimes,” Register said. “While Auburn is a safe place, we cannot assume things can’t happen here.”
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Gabby Dance, senior in journalism with a minor in women's studies, is the assistant campus editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
