The security presence at the Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration last week in Kansas City, was intense, but experts aren't surprised that hundreds of law enforcement officers weren't able to prevent the deadly shooting and chaos that unfolded.
There were over 800 officers stationed at the parade, along with officers with sniper rifles on building rooftops, which is not unusual for a large event like a victory parade. It's all a part of a growing, uphill battle to secure events from the threat of gun violence, reports USA Today.
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On Friday, two juveniles were charged in connection with the shooting that left one person dead and 22 wounded.
Security experts say in a nation awash with firearms, large events always pose safety risks that even the most stringent security measures can't always catch before they happen. Those security measures are becoming more commonplace.
"There is a risk factor when you go to a concert or or a venue or an event. That is the world we live in," said law enforcement and security expert Adam Bercovici, a retired Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant and former owner of a security company,
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Missouri has some of the laxest gun control measures in the country, according to gun control advocacy and research group Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Since 2017, it has been legal for people to carry concealed, loaded guns without a permit or background check,
There is only so much law enforcement and event security can do to prevent a shooting at an event like a parade or large music festival, even if security tries to keep guns out of the event.
It's especially difficult if not impossible to screen people for weapons when there aren’t clear entry and exit points. In that situation, officials have to rely on their intelligence in the crowd from a combination of uniformed and undercover officers.
"You can't metal detect all those people," Bercovici said. "So the next best option is to have real intelligence on the ground that can maybe see a firearm or weapon before it's used."
Over the last few decades, large event venues have been recognized as potential targets for terrorism, and more recently, for mass shooters.
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