Following Monday night’s attack in Manchester, England, officials with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security say there will be heightened security nationwide, but it will not be that extreme.
Raleigh, N. C. — Following Monday night’s attack in Manchester, England, officials with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security say there will be heightened security nationwide, but it will not be that extreme.
In Raleigh, PNC Arena’s President Don Waddell said the bombing highlighted a vulnerable target.
« It’s an eye opener for sure, » he said. « We’ve talked about it for a long time that you hope a venue will never be hit. »
The man responsible for the Manchester bombing did not go through security, officials said. Instead, he waited until after the concert was over and people were leaving to unleash his terror.
Watching from Raleigh, Waddell made a decision to accelerate plans already in the works to bring bomb-sniffing K9 teams to PNC Arena.
« We’re going to speed that up starting with our concert [Wednesday] night. At The Chainsmokers, we will have dogs on premises, and going forward, that’ll be something we get used to and have around the building, » he said.
Waddell said he is consulting with the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to « get it right » and to make sure all bases are covered.
At least four K9 teams consisting of an officer and a bomb-sniffing dog will be stationed at the arena during events. Dogs will sweep the inside and outside of the venue before, during and after events.
Waddell said he knows that he can’t prevent everything, but he wants people to feel safe and secure in a world of uncertainty and fear.
« We felt there is no reason to wait another 60 days or so. We’ve got some big events coming up. We’ll start it now, » he said.
Waddell says PNC has not settled on a vendor. Arena officials are working through that process, but after the bombing, he decided to act now and figure the rest out later.
