LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Additional federal resources will be put toward security for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Rep. Dina Titus announced on Friday.
Titus advocated for increased security for the event, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of national and international spectators to the Las Vegas Strip from Nov. 16 to Nov. 18.
As of Friday, the Department of Homeland Security had upgraded the security status of the Las Vegas Grand Prix from a Level Three to a Level Two.
The Level Two rating is "given to events of significant national and international importance that require a heightened level of federal interagency support," according to a statement from Titus's office.
DHS gives these ratings on a scale of one to five for certain high-profile events. For context, the Super Bowl is rated Level One security status by DHS.
Over the past year, Titus has pushed DHS to increase the security rating for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in an effort to secure more federal support for security at the event, according to her office.
I have pushed for a Level Two SEER rating for @F1 for over a year, and I’m pleased to see that these efforts were successful after continued coordination with @DHSgov. It’s critical that we have increased security for the safety of attendees and participants.
— Dina Titus (@repdinatitus) October 27, 2023
"This is welcome news for local law enforcement, businesses, and tourism leaders who have worked to make this upcoming event successful," Titus stated in the prepared news release. "It's critical that we have this increased security support for the benefit of our community and the safety of race attendees and participants."
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department previously told Channel 13 it is working on a future press conference with community partners to address security plans for the grand prix.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill previously spoke about the race in July during a public program at the Mob Museum.
"F1 is, quite frankly, it's a nightmare for me. I'm not going to lie to you," McMahill said. "This type of event is something we've never dealt with before. The size of the footprint that we've never dealt with before. And, you know, the threat is huge."
What kind of security concerns will be on law enforcement's radar during F1 race week? 13 chief investigator Darcy Spears recently spoke to a risk management expert specializing in motorsports events, who says, "Any time you have large influxes of people coming into a city with a lot of money to spend, there tends to be an uptick in victimization."
You can find her full investigation at ktnv.com/13-investigates.
