LISTEN: Preparing security for an event like the Republican National Convention
Jul 16, 2024, 9:00 AM | Updated: 9:16 am
RNC Chair Michael Whatley speaks during the Republican National Convention Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
SALT LAKE CITY –What kind of planning goes into security for a major event like the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee?
KSL at Night hosts Maura Carabello and Taylor Morgan spoke to Chris Burbank, former Head of Security for the Medals Plaza at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics.
Listen to the full segment from KSL at Night here. 👇
“Milwaukee started preparing for this as soon as they found out they were going to host the RNC,” Burbank said. “This has been going on for [a] year.”
It’s not unlike the Olympics, Burbank said.
“It’s very difficult to penetrate because of the layers of security,” he said.
Burbank believes very little had to be changed following Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Trump.
“The preparation for this was in place,” he said.
The only thing that might have changed was beefing up security on outside perimeters.
Similar to Olympic security
Special security events are led by the Secret Service. Burbank said the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics were the first designated special security event.
“In the Olympic Plaza itself, we had 1,000 National Guard troops, we had hundreds of state, local and federal police officers that were involved with security there,” Burbank said. “It was all a coordinated effort in which we all worked together.”
‘You can’t prevent everything’
These security plans minimize risk, Burbank said, but they cannot prevent everything.
“You put everything in place to minimize the potential impact … And then, you prepare for what may come, right, if something out of the norm comes,” he said.
Ultimately, Burbank said the thing that’s most important in this conversation is a discussion about the violence in America, where guns are used to kill and injure innocent people.
“Whether they’re political or not, we need to, as a country, say we’re going to do something different,” he said
Emma Keddington a producer and reporter for KSL NewsRadio.
