(defeo.biz) — New security measures are apparently coming to casinos in Las Vegas in the wake of a mass shooting that left at least 59 people dead and more than 500 injured, published reports indicate.
According to a Bloomberg report, security guards at the Wynn started checking guests with metal detectors in the wake of the shooting. Casinos are almost certain to roll out measures such as this in the days, weeks and months ahead.
“We have to start thinking like the Secret Service — start looking at tall buildings,” Bloomberg quoted David Shepherd, a former FBI special agent in counterterrorism and later the security director for Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s Venetian resort. “How far do we have to take it?”
One major hurdle will certainly be how to operationalize new security measures. Travelers, for example, are accustomed to baggage screening before boarding an airplane, but there are no such measures at hotels.
“Most hotels in the United States do not have metal detectors,” Fox News quoted UCLA Professor Adam Winkler as saying. “Anyone can walk into a hotel with firearms without being detected. Firearms in a suitcase would also easily get past any hotel security.”
The investigation into what sparked the mass shooting remains ongoing. But, as of now, it appears the shooter was a lone wolf, though authorities have described a female companion as a “person of interest.”
“Las Vegas is a strong community that will work through this tragic incident,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President/CEO Rossi Ralenkotter said in a statement. “We are grateful beyond words to our incomparable law enforcement, first responders and everyone who continues to help victims and their families.”