CSULB
police ready for Vans Warped Tour
By Cameron Watt
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
When
thousands of excited concert goers pour
into The Beach July 11 for the Vans Warped
Tour, campus police and security will be
ready for them, according to Stan Skipworth,
captain of University Police.
The
Vans Warped Tour will be the first major
concert venue to come to campus in four
years, boasting big-time rock bands like
Sum 41, Simple Plan, The Used, Face to Face
and Pennywise. Because this is the first
major concert venue in such a long period,
grouped with the dynamic of the crowd and
the high energy it will bring, more officers
will be on duty for this event than any
ever hosted by the university.
Significant
changes have been made to security since
the last concert, Beachfest ‘99, headlined
by Smashmouth, including more efficient
training for all security personnel. Ever
since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks most
concert goers realize that no matter what
the venue, there is always vulnerability.
Campus
police have been working with a private
security company, Staff Pro, to understand
all the logistics of the concert. The analysis
of the event has been taking place for the
last 4 to 5 months, but in the past eight
weeks they have kicked preparations into
high gear.
As
a whole, Skipworth is most concerned about
crowd control. With any venue that is this
large, especially when there are many different
stages and attractions, crowding will always
be an issue. When compounding that with
the fact the concert will be held in mid-July,
routinely the hottest time of the year for
Southern California, crowd agitation and
medical emergencies for dehydration are
virtually unavoidable.
Another
concern about the concert is the noise levels
that the neighbors of the university will
have to contend with.
Since
so many bands are playing, it will be common
that as soon as one band finishes its set
another group will be hitting its first
chords on another stage. While Skipworth
expects a large amount of inquiries from
neighbors, especially due to the hard rock
music genre that the concert will bring,
he is still very excited to help bring an
event like this to campus.
If
concert goers plan to park on campus, they
can expect a $6 charge. The charge is applied
to both students and non-students attending
the concert. The closest and largest area
for parking will be Lot 11. The parking
structure will also be open for those planning
on attending the concert.
When
the concert does comes to town, music fans
can expect an exciting, fun and safe time,
Skipworth assures.
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