Don’t blame MGM security — shooting could have happened anywhere

A strange thing happened on Wayne Allyn Root’s trail to his Oct. 19 column, “Guards paint eye-opening picture of MGM security practices.” In the wake of the Oct. 1 Strip shooting, he actually stumbled upon a valid concern by revealing problems that plague the casino security industry.

Mr. Root noted several operational and management flaws in MGM’s security system that were revealed to him by MGM personnel. They include job dissatisfaction, inadequate training, poor equipment and “undermanned and underpaid” personnel.

Yet despite noting these conditions as an “eye-opener,” Mr. Root gave readers only a one-eyed glance by focusing exclusively on MGM properties. Anyone with a smidgen of sense knows that this killer’s methods could have succeeded at any Strip casino with an event overlook.

That does not remove MGM’s need to reassess its security operational and administrative capabilities. But it does lead to a larger question of security in Nevada casinos in general, and one that Mr. Root ignored. Security is only one cost of doing business. In our nation’s increasingly at-risk public gatherings, however, the bottom line for security operations throughout Las Vegas has got to change, along with myriad personnel and best practices issues.

Deterring future acts of violence upon our citizenry presents a formidable challenge. Sadly, we can not always guarantee a good outcome. Yet to do otherwise exploits the public, exploits security personnel and is a disservice to all affected.

And Mr. Root should remember that politicizing the issue is also a disservice.