Currently, across the United States, large-scale protests occur in urban centers and universities and in front of significant events or political buildings. Most of these protests are due to the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, with protests and counter-protests happening on both sides. Unfortunately, many of these protests become unruly and violent, with fights breaking out and emotions running very high, which can create a dangerous environment.
In many college cities in California, such as USC or UCLA, authorities wait until it’s too late to call the police. This puts the police in a challenging situation because the longer they wait, the worse it gets. The protests grow more extensive, and more physical altercations or violent incidents occur. When the police step in at this point, it can cause the crowds to become even angrier and lash out at the police. This means the police are put in a dangerous environment and are more likely to get injured. Additionally, this can further erode the public’s opinion of the police and their relationship with law enforcement, especially in these environments where the opinion of police has already become unfavorable over the last few years.
Unsafe Campus Environments and Canceled Events
If police are involved earlier or even on-site from the beginning of the protest, they can plan, act faster, and act more responsibly. University officials are trying to decide when to bring in the Los Angeles Police Department or LA Sheriffs, but they consistently wait until the situation gets out of hand.
These university officials must be more decisive and bring in police support and presence much earlier to protect the student’s campus and the police. This would lead to a much safer environment for everyone. Otherwise, it escalates into civil unrest.
It has gotten so bad recently that USC has canceled its graduation this year following multiple days of unrest on the campus due to these protests. Typically, the main commencement attracts around 65,000 attendees and is held in their large stadium. The university asserted that this was because it would now take much longer to register all the guests coming to campus and that increased security measures would make this unfeasible.
Instead, the graduation will only include the students and their immediate family members. USC is not alone in this change; other universities nationwide, such as Columbia, have also canceled significant events due to safety concerns.
Armed Private Security is the Solution
While these cancellations were made due to concerns that the campuses are unsafe for many visitors, the events could quickly have still taken place if officials were willing to consider different solutions.
The obvious solution would have been to choose high-quality private security for the commencement ceremonies. Private security can secure any arena, stadium, or significant event anywhere. Succumbing to the fear of protests and essential events is not the way forward; otherwise, events like the Super Bowl or the Olympics would also be canceled.
Private security offers a holistic, thorough solution that considers all risks and threats involved in significant events. When private security is hired for an event, the first step is a risk vulnerability assessment of the venue. The security team then decides on the resources to protect the venue or event. Next, the team will conduct an in-depth intelligence and threat assessment report to discover any threats, such as protestors, that could occur at the event. From this information, the protection company creates the three or four rings of protection needed and provides a potent combination of law enforcement and armed private security to ensure the event happens smoothly and successfully.
This kind of operation is carried out for every large-scale event worldwide. Politicians across California need to get wise to this. The Olympics are coming to Los Angeles in 2028, and the city needs to be ready for huge crowds in and around large venues and arenas. They need a solid security plan. Politicians must bring in the resources necessary to protect the city, residents, and visitors.
Planning Ahead
The same applies to these university events. Some companies can easily protect these events by ensuring the security is solid and tight and foreseeing and handling any emerging challenges. These security plans should have been made long before the recent protests because the university should be prepared for these events regardless of the political atmosphere or tensions that might arise that year. The decision to cancel the commencement demonstrates a disappointing lack of planning and foresight.
The longer you wait to bring in law enforcement or armed private security, the worse the consequences become. Politicians and officials often delay bringing in law enforcement because they are worried about students getting hurt. However, by bringing in police sooner, they can make more effective plans and responses, reducing the likelihood of students getting injured and keeping everyone calmer. Politicians need to let security professionals and police decide when it is best to remove encampments because they understand when it is safest to do so.
The goal of private security is to prevent and avoid all incidents, while the goal of police work is more reactive. This is why combining private security and law enforcement is ideal: Both have valuable skills and assets to bring to these situations and events.
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