By Joyce Coronel
Though Manchester, England lies more than 5,000 miles from Tempe, a deadly terror attack there last month following a concert has grabbed worldwide attention, including that of Sgt. Josie Montenegro and fellow officers at the Tempe Police Department.
Tempe is the site of some of the nation’s best-attended concerts, and the city’s Marquee Theater will be hosting several this summer, including Yngwie, Seether and the Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular in June alone.
“We have a good working relationship with the Marquee,” Montenegro said. “Obviously, here in Tempe, we do have many large-scale events.” Those include the annual Fourth of July festivities, New Year’s Eve block party, Pat’s Run and others.
At the concert in Manchester, thousands of young people had gathered to hear Ariana Grande, an American pop star. Upon leaving the crowded venue, concertgoers were attacked by a suicide bomber who detonated an improvised explosive device.
ISIS, the international terrorist organization responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent civilians, later claimed credit for the carnage.
“In law enforcement, when we’re at work, we’re vigilant. We’re always aware of our surroundings and try to pay attention, especially to the things that seem abnormal,” Montenegro said. “We have a history of preparing for these large-scale events and having different security plans in place.”
The venue itself, she added, submits and must adhere to a security plan. “They have to advise if they are going to be serving alcohol or not, and that changes the number of security that they have,” Montenegro said. In addition to that, venues will often hire off-duty police officers to work handin-hand with their security.
Tempe’s off-duty officers “are there as an extra deterrent and a way of connecting with the police department immediately if more assistance is needed, Montenegro added.
Depending on crowd size, the Tempe mounted patrol might be called in. “The horses are an excellent deterrent and resource,” Montenegro said.
But is there anything the public can do to help thwart an attack?
“We have people from around the world that come to Tempe,” Montenegro said. “We as police officers and law enforcement—we can’t be everywhere. We’re not going to be able to see and hear everything. So we rely a lot on our community.”
The Tempe Police Department, she said, has an excellent relationship with the community and sees cooperation between citizens and the department as evidence of teamwork.
“We encourage the community to be our eyes and ears,” Montenegro said. “If they see something or hear something that is abnormal or suspicious, we encourage phone calls— and we take our suspicion calls very seriously.” At times, she noted, such calls from citizens have helped deter a crime.
When at a concert or large gathering, there are a few things to look for that just might make the difference between an attack taking place and a plot being deterred.
• Look for people who aren’t watching the concert but seem to be observing the crowd instead.
• Does what they are wearing seem appropriate to the venue and the occasion?
• Is there anything suspicious-looking visible in pockets or elsewhere in the clothing?
“If somebody calls in and points someone out, we can at least make that face-to-face contact—that in itself can be a deterrent,” Montenegro said. “If something just looks weird on somebody, if they don’t really look like they are there to enjoy the venue, then that is suspicious behavior.”
