DEL MAR (NEWS 8) – Wednesday night’s mass shooting in Thousand Oaks has raised security concerns on the eve of the Bing Crosby Racing season in Del Mar.
In September, a man fired a gun outside the Ice Cube concert at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. He was shot but survived his injuries and is now in custody.
As the Bing Crosby Racing begins, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club said new security changes have been put in place for the two concerts that are scheuduled during the racing season.
“We are doing several things. We will have metal detectors. There will be ten of them. We will have six fast lanes for folks that are not carrying purses or bags,” said Mac McBride, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club media director.
The metal detectors, however, will only be used during the two scheduled concerts. “We dealt with our Sheriff’s, our security experts and they suggested that is where we need that kind of help,” said McBride.
College Day and Reggae Fest will take place on Saturday – unnerving for some after the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar happened on college night.
“This coming Saturday when we have our College Day. We have our concert afterwards. We will have additional Sheriff’s on board for that. I think it will be a safe and secure environment,” McBride.
McBride is asking attendees that if they see something, they say something.
He also said fairground employees, including Premier Food and Beverage workers, will be better prepared. “We have gone through and we are going to go through additional, what they call live shooter or active shooter training.”
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club said it has hired The Sho to consult. The Sho is an event security company that also provides security for Coachella, Stagecoach and other large scale events.
“Del Mar is a happy place. We are taking steps to make sure that it stays that way,” said McBride.
News 8 reached out to Premier Food Service and its workers’ union about security, but as of this publication, they have not responded.