Public-Private Chain of Command Secures LA’s Staples Center

Los Angeles’ Staples Center is almost 1 million square feet, and facility management knows it needs to protect the 20,000 or so people that come there for events. That’s why those facility managers work closely with the LA police department so everyone knows the chain of command.

In an article on Government Technology’s Emergency Management website, Jessica Jones takes an in-depth look at the partnership between the Center’s own facility management team and the Los Angeles police department.

“We’ve had all the tabletop exercises with local government, local law enforcement agencies and the Department of Homeland Security to talk about what we need to do as a facility when the first responders get here,” Lee Zeidman, Staples Center senior vice president and general manager, told Jones. “Technically we’re the first responders because we’re here, but once they get here I’m not making the calls; I’m turning it over to the fire department, the LAPD, and if it’s a crime scene, the FBI or Secret Service.”

According to Jones, security at the Staples Center is divided between two AEG teams. One team is responsible for activities and events inside the arena and the nearby Nokia Theatre. The other security team’s responsibilities include the one-acre plaza, two on-site parking structures and other surrounding exterior areas.

“We knew we are a high-profile facility, and we host high-profile events. So we decided we were going to be proactive and harden the soft target,” Zeidman told Jones. “That’s been our philosophy since 9/11, because obviously we’re never going to be able to stop everything that happens. But maybe if we make it a little tougher, they’ll walk down the street because it is too tough to get in here.”

How does staff collaborate with local law enforcement and first responders? “Each staff member takes emergency response training, and emergency policies and procedures are updated annually,” Jones says. “In addition, an informational session is held where officials from the bomb squad, the LAPD, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and Archangel (a counterterrorism partnership connected with the LAPD) speak to the facility’s 12,000 part-time employees about emergency prevention and preparedness.”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.govtech.com/em/400720?topic=290167