Caesars employ armed emergency response teams in Las Vegas

Caesars Entertainment Corp., the US-based casino company, has created a team of armed emergency response personnel in Las Vegas. The team comprises former military and law enforcement officials. The move seems to be triggered by the recent incidents of mass shooting in the USA. “These teams provide valuable additional security capabilities, provide a stronger and more visible security presence and a rapid armed response if necessary to our Las Vegas properties,” Jennifer Forkish, vice president for corporate communications, said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

After the mass shooting at Mandalay Bay, which resulted in 58 deaths, several casinos in Las Vegas casinos are beefing up the security. Every year, 42 million tourists visit the Las Vegas Strip.

MGM Resorts International, another major casino group in the country, has availed the service of nine former military and SWAT officers for its rapid response teams.

The armed teams will be the first responders to any dangerous situation at or around the properties. Former Metropolitan Police Department detective Phil Ramos described the Caesars and MGM teams as “a civilian version of SWAT.”

The average duration of an active shooter event is just under 10 minutes, while it takes on average 12–15 minutes for law enforcement to arrive, according to a report by ASIS International, a professional organisation for security professionals.

Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal