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Too Horrible to Contemplate, Yet We Must: Protecting Against Terrorists at Coachella

Although North America has avoided a Bataclan-style terrorist attack, the San Bernardino shootings of last year show that ISIS/al-Qaeda-inspired operators exist on this side of the Atlantic. Any gathering of people is a soft target. What about Coachella? Are there heightened security precautions in place? You bet there are. From The Press Enterprise:

After terrorist attacks in the past six months killed 130 people in Paris, 32 in Brussels and 14 in San Bernardino, law enforcement agencies have taken precautions to keep the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival safe.

Like any large or iconic event – the annual festival sells almost 100,000 tickets for each of its two weekends – experts say it could be a potential target. But local authorities and the festival’s security company prepare for “nightmare”-type scenarios.

“We are adequately staffed to handle any situation that may come upon us during the festival season,” said Sgt. Dan Marshall of the Indio Police Department, the lead agency in charge of public safety at the festival at the Empire Polo Club in that city.

Though he wouldn’t go into detail about specific measures authorities are taking or how they will patrol the festival differently this year, Marshall said the recent massacres, near and far, have influenced their preparation.

It’s too awful to think about, but it’s the world in which we live–especially in The Land of the Second Amendment®. Keep reading.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38031 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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