Bars, restaurants and other public establishments are evaluating and rethinking security plans after the shooting at the Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Jonathan Heggenhougen, director of operations at F.YC. Entertainment, which operates four downtown Hartford bars, said they take all the precautions they can and try to eliminate problems at the door. At the Russian Lady, one if their businesses, capacity is 800 and patrons spread out over three floors.
This week’s deadly shooting inside at a busy California bar forced Jonathan and his staff to review their security plans.
“We have extra meetings before and after all shifts. The door guys have a meeting where they go over what event we have going on, how many people can we expect for that event, and kind of, they anticipate what we're looking for,” Heggenhougen said, describing some of the preparation and training. “Before they’re hired, they go through a whole training course to keep an eye out for weapons, knives.”
Staff also keeps a close working relationship with the Hartford Police Department, who are also on alert after the shooting.
Police have extra eyes on patrol, with 24/7 surveillance offering 1,000 views all over the capital city, and full-time analysts to feed officers on scene real-time intelligence.
Local
“We find out what’s available in that general area and try to get eyes on it. Descriptions of potential suspects or witnesses come in they’re trying to identify location,” explained Sgt. Jeff Morrison.
The goal, as always, is to keep the public safe.
Law enforcement said regular citizens can also help by being aware of their surroundings and taking note of possible exits when visiting a new place.
