Public safety is being scrutinized now more ever. Preparations have been underway for months ahead of hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the Las Vegas Strip to ring in the New Year.
But there’s a different tone in the wake of the mass shooting on Oct. 1.
It goes without saying that what happened is weighing heavily on this year’s preparations.
Even though authorities haven’t released any details, it’s certain police will be even more visible and there will be more security measures in place.
As people pay their respects, with the Oct. 1 tragedy still fresh on their minds, there are mixed feelings about the next big event — New Year’s Eve.
“I don’t want people here in Vegas to feel like they have to worry, and look over their shoulders constantly, because that’s not who we are,” said Candy Colletti of Las Vegas.
However, her daughter, Kelly Colletti who lives in California, admits she’s concerned about safety.
“I think on New Year’s Day that I would definitely stay in. It sucks to have to say that.”
She echoes the sentiment of others, a disbelief that one person can cause so much uncertainty with such a cowardly act.
“It sucks that somebody like this could take all the joy out of what we like to do, but also it’s scary,” she said.
Around 330,000 plus revelers ring in the New Year along the Las Vegas Strip. They’re soft targets between tall buildings, but Sheriff Joe Lombardo says he’s confident the festivities will be safe.
“We develop different ways to, the proverbial ‘harden the target,’ so we’re going to make some adjustments on how we staff those events,” Sheriff Lombardo said.
Everyone involved in throwing the big New Year’s Eve bash is at the table working on security fixes.
The fine details are not being released, at this time. All of that isn’t weighing too heavily on Candy Colletti’s mind.
She hopes we all learn from the tragedy and come out of it stronger than before.
“It’s unfortunate, it’s sad, but it’s not going to stop us. Like I said, we’re Vegas Strong, and we’re going to keep on going.”
The Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon is just over three weeks out. Event organizers have moved the starting line away from the festival grounds as well as the concert that goes along with it.
