Congressman Michael McCaul, representing Texas, led the inaugural hearing of the Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events. The session was titled “Lessons Learned: An examination of historic security incidents at mass gatherings.” During the hearing, Chairman McCaul emphasized the importance of information sharing in preventing tragedies like the Boston Bombing.
McCaul spoke with former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis about past failures in information dissemination. He said, “We ran an investigation — I remember walking down Boylston Street in Boston with you, and then we found several disturbing facts. Information was not shared.”
Davis noted that changes have been made since then to improve information sharing within law enforcement agencies. He stated, “With your help, and the help of Congress and the Senate, we were able to change the rules there.”
The discussion also addressed emerging threats from drones at open-air events. McCaul expressed concern about UAVs as a significant threat to safety during large gatherings. He remarked, “In my view this is probably the greatest emerging threat now to these games.”
Ed Davis agreed on the seriousness of drone threats and stressed coordination between federal and local agencies. Colonel Hodges from New Orleans highlighted successful strategies used in Louisiana to detect and mitigate drone threats during special events.
Chief Graves from Kansas City described their ongoing efforts with drones for various purposes including crime scene capturing and their new Drones as First Responders program.
Chairman McCaul concluded by acknowledging the need for continued dialogue on empowering local law enforcement to address drone threats effectively.
