Every successful security operation starts with a plan and event security is no different. This begins with the initial discussion of an event and what is paramount is the recognition of specific responsibilities, to include jurisdictional boundaries, appropriate roles, and the respective areas of security and non-security elements identified to form the genesis of your plan. The major component to the pre-planning design is the identification of pertinent sub-committees and a steering committee. The establishment of specific sub-committees with their own respective responsibilities is a tried-and-tested process to help ensure all the bases are covered. As important as the sub-committees are, it is just as important to identify the appropriate sub-committee heads to coordinate and supervise these bodies. And after all of this has been developed, it is also essential that a steering committee is established with every participating organization being represented. The people that comprise the steering committee are agency decision makers and all recommended sub-committee policies and procedures are vetted through the steering committee before becoming codified.

There are a number of security topics to address and the sub-committee structure depicts these areas and more importantly, addresses these issues. The sub-committees are designed to cover all security related matters applicable to your event. Some appropriate examples would be intelligence, tactical, credentials, training, transportation, medical and fire. The sub-committees are a perfect way to break down a systematic approach to planning, designing, preparing and implementing security for an event. I cannot stress enough the importance of having the proper representatives from law enforcement, public safety, fire, medical, and the private sector (to include the host organization) forming these sub-committees. As an event planner, you would be doing yourself and the function a great disservice by omitting someone whose presence might be necessary. The whole purpose of this protocol is to have a democratic process with an equitable representation of all contributing factions. The creation of this process is to combat autonomy and to prevent event planners from operating in a vacuum. There is also a liability factor to consider, and from a legal perspective, you want everyone involved in the decision making process.

When you plan for an event, you do not just focus on the site itself. As a matter of fact, the main event venue may be the easiest location to secure and the least problematic of all of your concerns. The protests on the streets and in the parks of the city were a sober reminder to the severity of potential security issues related to a major event. The trouble wasn't isolated to the site of the main event. And remember the creation of the sub-committee mechanism is for the intention of including security coverage for ancillary venues in addition to the main event site. Hotels, entertainment centers, restaurants, cultural venues, tourist attractions, government buildings and transportation routes are all examples of locations needing to be under your "protective umbrella." The arena or convention center is not the only possible target for people intent on disrupting or terminating your event. A successful strategy by a subversive group could be to attack what they perceive as a "soft target." If all of your resources have been thrown at the highly publicized site like an open air stadium, then a logical tactic would be to strike at a more vulnerable position.

The remedy to the ideology by your opponent to strike at a satellite function would be to place as much emphasis on the secondary venues as the main sites. With this in mind, your subcommittees are in place to assure that "no stone is left unturned."

The next best thing is to adhere to a thorough and comprehensive sub-committee and steering committee structure to concentrate on all security related matters pertinent to your event. This also allows for the professionals to participate in the construction of your security plan by participating in their respective sub-committee.

The check and balance to the policies and strategies developed by the sub-committees will be the steering committee. This entity should be mainly comprised of state, local and federal government and the individual representative must have the authority to make a decision. The primary role of this position is to review recommended practices by the sub-committees and decide if their proposals will become policy. Just picture a diagram with every subcommittee below one large steering committee. The vetting of draft security measures is another mechanism for involving as many security planners as possible. This has been a staple for major events for a number of years and is still the best way to collectively design, plan and implement a security plan for a major event.

G. Michael Verden is an executive with Hillard Heintze and formerly served as senior director of security for the National Basketball Association. He can be reached at mike@hillardheintze.com.