Hyatt and GE Security inspected Democratic delegates for explosives
Because of heightened security concerns and the possibility of protests at or near the convention -- which would nominate Barack Obama and Joe Biden as the Democratic candidates for president and vice president -- the hotel chain and GE Security collaborated on a vigorous 24/7 trace detection program.
Security personnel used GE detection gear, such as its Itemiser, to search for traces of explosives on guests’ bags as they entered the lobby, as well as in the steering wheels, door handles and trunk areas of any autos being parked in the Hyatt Regency’s underground garage, according to Steve Hill, a GE spokesman.
The hotel chain and GE had already begun planning such security efforts even before the DNC convention in Denver, but a few police arrests shortly before the political event was scheduled to get underway heightened tensions and kicked the trace detection program into high gear, Hill explained.
At the Hyatt Regency, which is close to the convention center, the Hyatt/GE inspection effort was conducted around-the-clock. At the Hyatt Grand Hotel, a second hotel which is located further from the convention center and was being guarded by the Secret Service, the trace detection effort was merely part of a "secondary screening" protocol.
Executives at Hyatt initially wondered if these added security measures would be accepted by arriving hotel guests, said Hill, but they were pleasantly surprised when several guests thanked the hotel for taking extra security precautions.
No major incident or threat was uncovered by the trace detection campaign during the four-day convention, said Hill.
- Add your comment
- trackback url: http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/trackback/1032-1
