TOOELE COUNTY – Public safety officials in Tooele County are taking a close look at an increasingly popular country music festival, and the steps they need to take to keep concert-goers safe.
Tooele County officials say there are no indications there would be any kind of problem inside next summer’s Country Fan Fest. However, Sheriff Paul Wimmer says the mass shooting in Las Vegas has everyone re-evaluating their security measures. Wimmer says, “It really made me, and, I’m sure a lot of other law enforcement professionals throughout the country look at themselves.”
Wimmer says Las Vegas Metro Police are probably best equipped to handle security at a large gathering, and even they suffered a massive loss of life. “You’re talking about a mass shooting that occurred in a city where mass gatherings are their business,” he adds.
The multi-day festival has already brought in more than 10 thousand guests, and it continues to grow every year. Even though they don’t have any his rise hotels in the area, they do have to look at things like elevated positions around the venue. Plus, Wimmer says they need to examine how they would deploy their resources, if needed. He says, “We have an armored vehicle. It’s up here in Tooele. Would it be better to, during the event, to store it near the event so the deployment of it would be much quicker?”