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The Vectren Dayton Air Show will rely on technology more than ever to ensure the safety and security of thousands of spectators at Dayton International Airport this weekend, an air show security director said.
And two popular local music venues — Fraze Pavilion in Kettering and Rose Music Center in Huber Heights — have promised a “heightened awareness” on security in the aftermath of the Orlando terrorist attack that killed 49 bystanders and injured at least 53 people early Sunday.
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This year, the air show will have a “sky watch tower” with a surveillance camera that scans the crowd, and law enforcement officials with a license plate reader to spot any suspects who may be on a watch list, said Roger Doctor, air show director of security.
“Security and safety of our spectators are number one,” he said.
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The security measures were planned prior to the tragedy of a mass shooting at an Orlando night club. The suspected gunman died in a shootout with police.
For the air show Saturday and Sunday, Ohio Highway Patrol troopers, Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshal Service agents, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, the Dayton Police Department bomb squad, airport police and private security contractors will be on the grounds, Doctor said.
Spectators bags and backpacks are searched at random “to be able to be sure that no one is trying to sneak a weapon in with them,” Doctor said.
Air show officials are in contact with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force about security issues, he said. “They keep us up to date right to the minute, literally, if there’s any credible threat that they’ve picked up on,” he said.
Last year, the air show attracted about 40,000 spectators,. In some years, it’s reached 70,000. Attendance was projected below initial expectations this year because the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight team canceled a scheduled appearance in Dayton after a team pilot was killed when his F/A-18 Hornet crashed during a practice in Tennessee on June 2.
‘Heightened vigilance’
Officials at the music centers, Fraze and Rose, declined to elaborate on security measures.
At the Fraze, police are on the grounds for every public event, said Kettering police officer John Jung, department spokesman.
Pavilion employees are trained in what to do in active shooter scenarios, and patrons are encouraged to speak up if they see something suspicious, he said.
“If they see something, say something and pass it along to an officer on the scene,” Jung said.
Rose Music Center will be “more aggressive on the side of staffing and security ” and have a “visible deterrent” with private security and uniformed and undercover Huber Heights police officers, according to Michael C. Smith, executive vice president and CEO of Music and Event Management Inc., which manages the center.
The center has a “heightened vigilance and a heightened awareness” in the aftermath of the shootings, he said.
‘Remaining vigilant’
It’s not just events and venues that are re-examining their security.
Greater Dayton RTA will “remain vigilant” but has no formalized screening process for passengers, according to Jessica Olson, RTA marketing manager.
The transit service will transport riders to the air show from two locations, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center between Main and Jefferson in downtown Dayton.
RTA has cameras on each bus that allow staff to see what’s happening on each bus in “real time,” and has an additional 200 cameras and a security presence at transit centers, she said in an email.
The RTA follows Transportation Security Administration guidelines on heightened security measures and enforces a code of conduct, she said.
WHIO-TV reporter John Bedell contributed to this story.
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