Security Posture (or lack there of) at the City & County Building

[.455_Hunter]

While my wife prepared for Sunday, the kids and I hopped on the W-line this evening and went downtown to see the light displays. The mall was as expected, but we spent 15 minutes at the City & County Building as saw not a single LEO. Maybe they were incognito, or just inside a door, but giving the current climate, I would have expected a bit more visible presence at probably the biggest holiday focus point in the state on a Friday two nights before Christmas. DPD did, however, have enough manpower to execute a traffic stop on a bicyclist who ran a red light on one of the mall cross streets- gotta have priorities.

Never mind this bit of information...

U.S. federal authorities cautioned local law enforcement on Friday to be aware that supporters of Islamic State have been calling for their sympathizers to attack holiday gatherings in the United States, including churches, a law enforcement official said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-warning-idUSKBN14D007

[cstone]

How many people were in the vicinity of the City and County Building?

How many more people were on the 16th Street Mall?

Did you check any of the doors on the City and County Building?

I'd guess there were still quite a few people at the Christkindl Market at Skyline Park. I would bet the same DPD officers covering the 16th Street Mall are also covering the Market. I never see any officers at the Denver Performing Arts Center. During intermissions and just prior or after shows let out there are hundreds of people milling about in the covered courtyard.

There are just so many soft targets and no one wants to pay the tax bill for rent a cops much less actual police officers to cover half of those targets. Cops respond, and in major cities they are only five minutes away. Its just a tragedy for those innocent people who are there for the five and a half minutes before the cops get there.

People who assume the government can secure anything 24/7 forever and ever have an interesting way of looking at the world. Sort of like Alice and a looking glass.

Be safe.

[.455_Hunter]

The crowd density at the county bldg was higher than the mall, and the vehicle traffic passing in front was very heavy. There was a police presence on the mall.

For all I know, there a SWAT team sitting behind the side door waiting to pounch, but I would have EXPECTED a couple of uniforms to be pleasantly meandering through the crowd.

The two DPD Explorers parked in the classic drivers door-to-drivers door stance about halfway between the two locations on Cleveland Place sure seemed to be enjoying the evening.

[BushMasterBoy]

You just don't see us.

[.455_Hunter]

You just don't see us.

I hope that is the case.

[Great-Kazoo]

They jumped the bicycle guy as a preemptive measure. Potential for random attacks, bicycle rider runs stop sign. Yeah I'd want to know who it was, too.

[Mick-Boy]

How big a target is that though?

Real security is a) expensive and b) intrusive. It starts to look downright Orwellian when done properly. Most people/cities/states just don't have the budget or tolerance. The article you posted wouldn't be enough reason for me to change security posture.

"Jerks plan to try to be jerks while others go about their lives" just isn't, and I would argue shouldn't be, a good reason to act.

Random violence/lone wolf attacks, regardless of the inspiration, are scary because they are hard to foresee, hard to intercept and impossible to stop 100% of the time. I certainly wouldn't want to live in a society that was set up to try.

[ray1970]

Eh. I don't need the presence of uniformed officers to give me a false sense of security.

[Bailey Guns]

The two DPD Explorers parked in the classic drivers door-to-drivers door stance...

Adam-69

[Ronin13]

We have zero presence at the county building in Adams County... But more than 20 deputies and at least 4 security officers at the courthouse. I don't think a city/county building ranks very high on terrorist targets. The capital building is another story.

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