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Photos provided by Mark Lang


One area of concern is vehicle access to the playing surface. A VBIED could penetrate the usually soft security checkpoint and travel into the venue. It is advisable to place an armored vehicle somewhere between the checkpoint and the playing surface to block such an attempt. The vehicle should be manned prior to, during and after the event with SWAT personnel. If the VBIED can be stopped before it penetrates too far into the venue, it could potentially save lives. Remember, if you cannot stop the blast, mitigation is your next priority.


Overt or Covert Deployment Of usual concern is whether police snipers and SWAT are seen by the public at the venue. No police administrator wants the attention from the media, but the overt, visible response can create a sense of safety for the public and be greatly appreciated. Do not under- estimate the public that attends these events, as they can appreciate  climate, it very well may be a wiser decision to place snipers and other assets in a covert manner considering the continuing spot- light on the militarization of the police in our country. Both aspects can be accomplished depending on the mission of the deployment. Sniper/observer teams and SWAT QRF can be in hidden positions throughout the venue and remain undetected for the duration of         to determine accessibility and usefulness. The covert method of de- ployment is the most commonly used throughout the United States - on systems and other items are held out of public view. It is possible to run a covert operation with these assets at the venue ready to react in a timely manner to any threats. Conversely, these assets can also be deployed overtly. The advantages are voluntary compliance and possibly thwarting an attack if the terrorist views the presence to be


32 Facility Manager Magazine 


Conclusion Every weekend throughout the country police snipers and SWAT   - - tinues to widen as some have not conducted full-scale training in the venue to test and validate their plan in the event of a crisis. The time to train is before the crisis. Unfortunately, this does not always occur. Political or internal obstacles, or simply not fully understanding the capabilities of a trained police sniper, may be the culprit. Nonethe-  to give them the most relevant and realistic training available to set them up for success. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before an organized terrorist cell, group or lone wolf attacks a sporting ven- ue with success. Only then will real, tangible changes occur in how we proactively secure public venues. We live in dangerous times and idly sitting by hoping that these attacks will not come will prove to be tragic. SWAT and police snipers trained in venue response can be the driving force for keeping many citizens attending these events safe. The terrorist threat is known. What will you do about it? FM


Cpl. Mark Lang is a 23-year member of the Dallas Police Department. He has spent the past 15 years assigned to SWAT as a police sniper. Cpl. Lang has taught courses on proactively defending public venues in the U.S. and Canada. He was a panelist at the 2017 IAVM GuestX and can be reached at mlang@ - sociation.


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