Strip shooting highlights dangers of ad wraps on RTC buses
I read with great interest the Review-Journal story last week regarding the difficulty the police had in trying to control the situation in which a armed passenger had taken over a Regional Transportation Commission bus on the Strip a few weeks ago. They could not see through the windows due to the wrapped advertising on the bus. I have been waiting for this dangerous situation occur.
Many years ago, an FBI agent played by Denzel Washington confronted a similar situation in a movie. A terrorist had taken over a bus loaded with passages in the heart of the city. The first thing the perpetrator did was to use newspapers to cover all the windows so law enforcement could not see inside. It did not have a happy ending.
Just connecting interior cameras to a live feed won’t solve the problem. If it’s a well-thought-out plan, the terrorist will know how to disable the camera thus making law enforcement blind.
The only way to solve this problem is to not permit bus wraps over the windows. Advertisers can easily adjust their messages to not include the windows. This is common sense.
Remember, we do have a law on the books regarding how dark tinted windows can be on private cars so law enforcement can see what’s going on when approaching the occupants.
