ORLANDO, Fla. — The attack in New Orleans is drawing attention to security measures at major events.

What You Need To Know

  • Orlando will host the Pro Bowl next month, an event that is expected to draw big crowds

  • Two recent driver-led attacks, including the latest in New Orleans, are driving local leadership to consider higher safety preparations

  • A former sheriff said more security is likely to be more expensive

Next month, the Pro Bowl comes to Orlando, which will not only draw the best players from the National Football League, but their fans from across the country as well.

Former Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary says what happened in a German Christmas market last month should have been a wake up call for the world before Wednesday’s attack in New Orleans.

A driver plowed through a crowd in a Christmas market, an attack similar to the one in New Orleans.

Not only was Kevin Beary a former Orange County Sheriff, he also co-chaired the region five Domestic Security Task Force in Central Florida.

He’s not out of the game, though. The former sheriff now owns his own safety and security company.

When it comes to security and knowing how to protect thousands for a large-scale event like next month’s Pro Bowl, he explains that multiple plans need to be in place. Those include crowd control, traffic plans, risk assessments, evacuation plans, ambulance routes, and medical evacuation plans.

“You probably better be planning right now,” Beary said when discussing security. “You probably better be checking out now with the intelligence agencies and other bowl games, other football games, and making sure you don’t have any threats that you don’t know about.”

Following an act of terrorism in New Orleans, Beary says it’s possible drones could be flying above the Pro Bowl for eyes in the sky, and that additional agencies could be assigned to work the event as well. The cost just for security for that one day could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“So what needs to happen is your leadership at county government, city government, state government, they need to start putting money in the coffers for events like this,” Beary said. “If you know you are going to host them, then you need to pay for them and protect the citizens and visitors properly.”

Requests to meet and discuss safety measures with the FBI were denied, but they did send a statement:

“Leading up to and during any major event such as the Pro Bowl, the FBI works closely with our law enforcement partners to share information and identify and disrupt. Any threats that may emerge in our communities. To report any suspicious activity, contact FBI Tampa field office at 813-253-1000, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-call FBI.”

And from Orlando Police:

“As with any large-scale event, the safety and security of everyone remains the Orlando Police Department’s top priority. While we don’t discuss specific security measures, we always plan and staff each event appropriately to provide proper public safety and assess the needs of the event to make any necessary security modifications.”

One other point that Beary made is he hopes local law enforcement and government will be more transparent and open about discussing possible or potential terrorist threats moving forward, as he says they are here in our country.