LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Lights out in Las Vegas is less than a month away as preparations continue for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
That includes security planning, which law enforcement agencies, casinos, hotels, and other consulting companies have been working on for almost a year.
According to race officials, last year's inaugural race brought in about 315,000 fans.
With crowds of that size coming to town, Walter Kimble, a retired New Jersey Police Chief and former Director of Emergency Management, says there tends to be an uptick in victims from crimes like room burglaries, pick-pocketing, an increase in date rape drugs, and human trafficking.
"Sheriff McMahill took that very seriously last year. They had over 200 victim contacts, 70 arrests, and they had seven juveniles that were rescued," Kimble said. "[Recognizing the signs] needs to go on throughout the whole city of Las Vegas from valet parkers to people in the stands to people in the hotels."
He added that the main thing people should know is a universal sign for help.
That sign is when someone holds up an open hand, tucks in their thumb, and closes their fingers to make a fist.
"If you see that, keep that person in sight and call 911," Kimble said. "You don't want to let them out of your sight because it could be the last chance they have to call for help."
Cyberattacks have also been a potential concern due to the number of incidents across the valley over the last year. That includes MGM, Caesars Palace, and Findlay Auto Group.
Due to those concerns, companies like Darktrace provide digital defense services.
"We pull down 1.5 terabytes of data a weekend and run 50 million simulations over the course of a weekend and I would break down the importance of cybersecurity in a few different buckets," McLaren CEO Zak Brown told Wired last year. "We have the design IP of our race car and that is highly confidential trade secrets that we're moving around a lot. We're dealing with third parties and racing around the world. And then, weh ave all the data that is going on at a race track, where we're literally making split-second decisions."
Kimble handles nationwide risk management operations for motorsports events and consults on tourism safety and security. I asked him how he thought year one went, in terms of security operations during race week.
"I think Sheriff McMahill and his people and all of his allied law enforcement partners did a great job safetywise last year. I think Governor Lombardo activating the National Guard was extremely prudent because this was the first year out on a brand-new, not only an event, but a type of event," Kimble said. "[This was] an international event in scope, which can also make it attractive as both a foreign or domestic terror target. We saw that didn't occur. Many times, through intelligence, we know that things may have been planned. But through proactive policing, those plans were not carried out. There is no question that they are going to ramp that up again this year."
Going into year two, Kimble says he does see room for improvement. One example is fans being removed after the first practice
session went late. That was due to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz running over a valve cover, which damaged his vehicle and caused the session to be paused while the track was inspected and fixed.
Last year, race officials sent me a statement saying fans were removed due to safety concerns.
"We were concerned about our public safety and security officials who had been in service for a long time and who are being asked to work for the next three nights," the statement reads in part. "We were concerned about our transportation employees who are responsible for driving our fans back to hotels. By Federal law, they were bumping up against the amount of time they can legally and safely drive buses. Finally, our hospitality staff needed the ability to clean and resupply our guest areas to ensure that the fan experience is optimal for everyone over the coming days."
According to Kimble, contingencies should be put in place for this year to avoid a similar situation.
"Safety is always the right call. The question is was the staffing managed properly, in that everybody doesn't start their shift and end their shift at a different time," Kimble explained. "It shouldn't be to a point where you have to negate your fanbase because there aren't enough people to protect them. That's not a good look. I think there needs to be more proactive scheduling throughout the event in anticipation of something like that happening. I think they learned a lesson there and I'm hopeful that they made it right with those fans."
Communication was another sticking point last year and Kimble says that has improved.
"Communication was sorely lacking last year on a number of different levels from how employees can get to work, where they can park safely. But more than that, how long will it take them to get to work. Maintaining a constant information flow, which it seems, at this juncture, to be better this year, is going to be pivotal to making this a better event for the people that work it and the other tourists that are in the city."
Kimble says employers should consider the following policies to help employees have a better and safer race week experience.
- Have a buddy system
- Check on overdue employees
- Push out information during the work day about crashes, detours, and bad weather
- Go over emergency operations for their facility
- Verify and test employee communication systems before the event
And if you're going to the race, Kimble says you should be aware of your surroundings at all times.
In addition to the race, city officials have scheduled the Neon City Festival to drive more business downtown. I asked Kimble if he thought that would create any security issues or challenges.
"In addition to Metro, you're also going to have the Fremont Street Experience officers. You're going to have the Las Vegas City Marshals, and you're going to have a contingent, which is part of that command that policies the downtown area," Kimble said. "I wonder if that was the best fit for this time not only from a policing aspect but also just being able to get around the city and all the places there's going to be. I think it's a challenge but it's absolutely a manageable challenge."
I asked the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department what their security plans are for the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.
I was told they will have a press conference before the event to discuss safety measures.
The date for that press conference has not been set, as of Friday.
However, law enforcement is reminding the public that if you see something, say something.
You can report emergencies by calling 911 and report non-emergencies by calling 311. For terrorism-related threats/incidents, you can contact a Counter-Terrorism Expert by calling 702-828-7777. You can also make reports online at snctc.org.
