Lessons to be Gleaned for Themed Attractions from the Magdeburg, New Orleans, and Las Vegas Truck Attacks

In recent years, the world has witnessed horrifying security breaches that have left communities reeling and shell shocked. Notably, these include the truck attacks in Magdeburg, Germany at Christmas and now January 1st in New Orleans, USA, as well as on January 2nd, the Cybertruck explosion at The Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, USA. These incidents, resulting in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries, underscore the urgent need for enhanced security measures in public spaces and private entertainment venues, including theme parks. This observation examines the similarities of these attacks and explores what themed attractions should learn from them to prevent similar tragedies.

The Magdeburg attack occurred on a busy street in the heart of the populated city at a most celebratory time of the year. A truck plowed through a crowded market area, killing five people, and injuring over 200. The attack was swift and brutal, leaving a trail of destruction and chaos. Similarly, on Wednesday, January 1st in New Orleans, a truck rammed into a densely populated area, claiming the lives of 15 people now, and injuring more than 35. Both attacks were marked by their unexpectedness. It is apparent that vehicular weaponry has become a strikingly familiar approach of cowardly people turning everyday vehicles into deadly weapons to create havoc.

While the specific motivations behind these attacks may vary, they share a common goal of instilling fear, chaos, and carnage. Such attacks are often ideologically driven, aimed at undermining the sense of security in public and private spaces. Whether motivated by political, religious, or personal reasons, the attackers' intent is to create widespread panic and disruption. Every major public place of congregation and gathering, whether open or confined, must review its security procedures, heightening and enhancing their programs in this never-ending battle with growing bloodshed.

Theme parks, by their nature, attract large crowds and present unique security challenges. The tragic events in Magdeburg, New Orleans, and Las Vegas offer crucial lessons for theme parks to study and enhance their security protocols and procedures, to better protect visitors and personnel. Here are a few measures that theme parks can consider for implementation.

1. Enhancing and installing robust vehicle barriers at entrances and around perimeters can prevent unauthorized vehicles from accessing pedestrian areas. Bollards, barriers, and reinforced gates can significantly reduce the risk of vehicle-based attacks. As we saw in New Orleans, these bollards were not in place.
   

2. Consider the elevation of high-resolution CCTV cameras and advanced surveillance systems which can help monitor and detect suspicious activities around the park's perimeter. As we are currently seeing in public police surveillance, drones are becoming a preferred form of scrutiny pre, during, and post despicable instances. The drone security business saw a 24% increase from 2023 to 2024, reaching $2.15 billion!
   

3. Attractions must continue to improve and innovate bag checks and metal detector programs, implementing (unfortunately) painstaking, time consuming searches. Also, it is crucial to install evolving metal detector technology at all entry points (personnel and public) for stronger points of prevention.

4. Boosting the strong and visible security personnel presence that exists at most facilities, strategically allocating more security personnel throughout the parks on a broader, more rigorous scaled basis.

5. It has become acutely apparent that developing and maintaining rapid response teams equipped to handle emergencies is a must in minimizing response times and effectively managing incidents that occur, thus lessening the severity of the incident.
   

6. Conducting more regularly scheduled emergency drills for staff (as boring as they can seem) can ensure everyone knows how to respond in case of an incident because “practice makes perfect”. Constant review of the clear communication channels and protocols for emergencies can assist in facilitating swift coordination between security personnel, law enforcement, and emergency services no matter what the incident might be, small or large.
   

7. Like it or not, elevating public awareness communication campaigns at facilities, through additional well-placed signage at entry points and within attractions, that prompts and educates visitors about the importance of being vigilant and how to immediately report suspicious activities, can definitely enhance overall security measures. “If you see something you think is wrong, report it.”
   

The tragic truck attacks in Magdeburg, New Orleans, and Las Vegas once again highlight the vulnerability of public, private spaces to deliberate acts of violence. For themed attractions, these recent incidents serve as a stark reminder of the need for, and importance of, robust security measures constantly being updated. By learning from these attacks and implementing and enhancing comprehensive security protocols, themed attractions can create a safer environment for their visitors and staffs. We do not want to be in the situation that New Orleans is currently experiencing of “what if” and “had we done this, and we did that” or, “we will now be the safest place for a Sugar Bowl football game to be played on the planet”. Unfortunately, it appears there were a lot of gaps which went unprepared for the large New Orleans New Year’s celebration.

Sad, but this is the world in which we now constantly live, work, and recreate. These continuous cowardly acts of killing and maiming make us more and more mindful that we have to stay ahead of the security curve for our guests and personnel. We have been fortunate thus far to not have had any serious tragic industry incidents of this nature. Let’s keep it that way. These types of dreadful acts are here to stay. What can you immediately do to prepare and improve your facility’s overall security?

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