Security to heighten during candidates’ visit

With Gov. Mitch Daniels, Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian challenger Andy Horning debating at the IU Auditorium tonight, attendees can expect heightened security measures, though they probably won’t see them, said IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger.

“We always plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Minger said.

Minger could not give specifics on what exactly his department will be doing, as publication of that information could jeopardize many of their tactics. If people know what the police are doing, it is exponentially easier to circumvent security measures, he said.

But IUPD has had plenty of experience with security at high-profile events. Last semester alone, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton all visited the campus.

“We do security assessments well in advance,” Minger said.

He said his department must coordinate with various agencies on both federal and state

levels. They must also work with the visitor’s personal security, whether it is an entourage, a single body guard or a team.

“That’s part of the information we try to gather in our pre-event planning,” Minger said.
The police assess threats on a scale of zero to very high, he said.

“It’s a very dynamic calibration,” Minger said. “There is almost always some sort of threat being evaluated by our team.”

Even after the visitor has left, IUPD’s job is not done.

“We have post-event discussions to see what went right, what could have been better,” Minger said.

Their hope is not to suppress protestors but rather to make sure people voice their opinions in a safe, legal and non-threatening manner, he said.

“Quite frankly, university environments are given to dissent and protest,” he said. “We’re very conscious people have the right to do that. We have to look at the concept of time, place and manner.”

But Minger said he is confident that the debate will go smoothly.

“We’re on it,” he said. “We’re prepared to deal with any incident that may occur.”