NEWS

Antioch theater attack reignites security debate

Lizzy Alfs
USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Four attacks at movie theaters in a three-year span that left a total of 15 dead and injured 82 others have stirred a national debate about whether theaters need to bolster security to prevent violence.

A string of violent attacks at movie theaters in the past three years has ignited a national debate over theater security.

The latest incident — when police say 29-year-old Vincente David Montano carried a hatchet, an airsoft gun and pepper spray into the Carmike Hickory 8 theater in Antioch on Wednesday and injured three moviegoers before police shot and killed him — has reignited a debate that began in 2012 after a mass shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12.

The Antioch theater attack comes just two weeks after two people were killed and nine others injured by a gunman at a theater in Lafayette, La.

The string of violence has theater owners re-evaluating security protocol as some moviegoers become increasingly concerned about safety.

Nashville nonprofit the Belcourt Theatre posted on Twitter after the Antioch incident Wednesday, asking patrons to leave big bags and backpacks at home.

Belcourt Executive Director Stephanie Silverman said the tweet does not reflect a permanent policy change regarding bags and backpacks given the theater’s proximity to Belmont, Vanderbilt and Lipscomb universities and the number of student moviegoers who wear backpacks.

Still, she said Belcourt is re-examining its safety procedures and strengthening its commitment to security and employee training. Silverman said Belcourt will make sure employees are “keeping an eye on theater rooms at all times.”

Silverman said the attack and others like it have some people feeling vulnerable in public spaces.

“I think Steve Anderson said it best when he said ‘this is the new normal,’ ” Silverman said, referring to the Metro police chief’s statement Wednesday after the Antioch attack. “For any of us who work in spaces where the public gathers, we feel the weight of keeping people safe and that we’re all on a bit of a new learning curve and awareness curve, so these are interesting times for sure.”

Large multiplex cinema chains have remained mostly quiet regarding specific security protocols. Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas did not immediately return requests for comment.

Georgia-based Carmike Cinemas issued the following statement Wednesday:

“We are grateful for the quick and professional actions of our staff and all first responders in Antioch and Nashville. The well-being of our guests and employees has been and will continue to be of utmost importance to our organization."

Police in cities across the U.S. have issued local responses to the movie theater attacks, including in New Orleans, where officers were patting down patrons at two local theaters in the days after the Lafayette shooting.

John Devino, director of operations for New York-based Global Security Services, which specializes in movie theater security, said the 15-year-old company has seen increased interest from cinema chains in hiring armed security guards.

Global Security Services has roughly 500 security guards across the country, and Devino said many of those are active or retired law enforcement officials.

“We believe that to have guards in the lobby (of a movie theater) is a big deterrent for individuals who want to come in and commit these acts. We believe a good security officer standing in the lobby … would be a huge deterrent (to violence),” Devino said.

Aside from having armed guards, other security measures theaters might take are to prohibit backpacks, costumes and masks; search bags; ensure alarms work on emergency exits; have employees perform walk-throughs during screenings; and install metal detectors.

Howard Levinson of Massachusetts-based Expert Security Consulting said the cost to install and staff metal detectors probably would deter most cinema chains from enacting that measure. He said those costs probably would be passed on to consumers.

“The theaters work on a very slim margin; they really don’t make much money on their films at all and they’re making money on concessions. If you introduce thousands of extra dollars per day to make them more secure, that would be a big problem that someone has to pay for,” Levinson said.

Levinson, who has designed security systems for major theater chains, said the two most important preventive measures are to train theater staff for emergencies and to redesign life safety systems at theaters to include a plan for an active shooter situation. He said emergency “pull stations” could be installed and when activated, movies would stop playing, lights would come on and ventilation systems would kick in.

“As of today, every single theater in the country and every chain should require their theaters to call the police departments and have an all-hands training session on an active shooter. That should be done right now,” Levinson said.

What remains unclear is how the latest incident in Antioch might impact box office revenue, which fell 5.2 percent last year to $10.3 billion.

The Antioch attack did not deliver a blow to the Belcourt Theatre’s business Wednesday night — Silverman said moviegoers still attended screenings.

Reach Lizzy Alfs at 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.