EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — In the wake of a tragic shooting at a public event in Utah, questions arise on went wrong and how it could have been prevented. KTSM’s Ian Roth spoke with El Paso venue and security consultant Brian Kennedy, who offered insight into the challenges of securing large-scale public events, and where the Utah event may have fallen short.
“They did a lot of things right,” Kennedy pointed out during KTSM at Noon on Thursday. “But the problem is, you have to be perfect.”
Kennedy, a former El Paso city representative and security advisor, highlighted what he saw as key missteps at the Charlie Kirk Turning Point USA event before a large crowd at a university in Utah.
Jeff Long, the Utah Valley University campus police chief, told reporters that six of his officers staffed the debate, and that his department had coordinated with Kirk’s own security team. He noted that Kirk had been speaking “in a lower area surrounded by buildings” but did not say whether officers had inspected nearby rooftops.
“That seems like pretty standard stuff,” Kennedy said about Utah event that drew approximately 3,000 attendees. “We’ve got to have more people, and we’ve got to have checks. Most of these problems can be solved with more badges, more cops, more checkpoints. You’ve got to have a checkpoint at almost all large events nowadays.”
Kennedy has advised on major public safety operations, including high-profile cases like the Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting and a Donald Trump campaign rally in El Paso in 2019. He says preparation, including thorough scanning of building tops, windows, and potential elevated threats, is essential, even if perfection is impossible.
“The national guys get it right because they have the resources. But at a local level, it’s hard,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy also pointed out that early and repeated security screenings, metal detectors, and both uniformed and plainclothes personnel are essential. “You’ve got to make sure people are safe coming in. And sometimes, that means checking them more than once,” Kennedy said.
When asked what regular people should do to stay safe at large events, Kennedy urged awareness and patience.
“You have to expect that there will be a delay getting in because security takes time,” he said. “That’s the trade-off: get people in quickly, or be more secure.”
As a former public official, Kennedy reflected personally on the increasing risks of high-profile public life. “Security is provided for the mayor for a reason. Anytime you’re in the public eye, something like this rattles you,” he said. “We’ve almost gotten to a culture of, ‘I hate that person,’ and you never know where it’s going to go. It makes you think about all the times you were in a crowd by yourself.”
The shooting in Utah continue to spark a national conversation about the evolving nature of public safety and the increasing challenges faced by those tasked with protecting large gatherings.
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