Small to Mid-Size Sporting Events: Are We Prepared to Recover from an Attack?

• Main Authors: Brian M. Harrell, Konrad Crockford, Pierre Boisrond, Sarah Tharp-Hernandez, Suzanne Parker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Henley-Putnam University 2010-01-01
• Series: Journal of Strategic Security
• Subjects: Complex emergencies; Health security; Homeland security; Law enforcement; North America; Security policy
• Online Access: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=jss
• ISSN: 1944-0464; 1944-0472

This article describes a fictional deadly attack by a lone-wolf terrorist during a high school football event in a small town, here in the United States. The authors begin by describing an attack and then focus on the response from the medical community, city, county, state, and federal government officials. Next, the authors make several recommendations on what actions are needed to develop an effective plan to combat terrorist activities during a small- to mid-size sports event. Among the actions needed, the authors focus on the following: response planning, emergency action plan, incident command, policies and procedures, and security staff training.