Local professor weighs in on security concerns

October 3, 2017 9:22 am

By: News Staff

Email: news@abc6.com

Twitter: @ABC6

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Questions are now being raised about security at the Country Music Festival in Las Vegas.

ABC6 News spoke with a professor at Johnson and Wales University (JWU) on Monday, and she says outdoor venues are the most difficult to protect.

“At what length do you go to secure this? There’s been a lot of discussion after the Manchester bombing at the Ariana Grande concert about securing perimeters. And if we’re going to secure perimeters that’s fine, but as to what scale are you going to go?,” said Elizabeth VanPatten, a professor at the College of Hospitality Management at JWU.

“It’s going to be very costly. And I don’t really know if we’re going to get to the instance where hotels and businesses are going to shut down for large open area events to this magnitude,” said Professor VanPatten.

Professor VanPatten says she constantly reminds her students to have an exit plan when attending these kinds of venues in case of an emergency.