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Security planning for Baylor football games starts a year in advance

Posted at 11:12 PM, Oct 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-23 00:12:28-04

Hours before the lights go on and fans flood McLane Stadium to watch the Baylor football team, law enforcement is getting ready for the game.

"Everybody knows where they're supposed to be what time they're supposed to be there," Mark Childers, Associate Vice President for the Baylor Department of Public Safety, said.  

Mark Childers worked for the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Secret Service for several years. In 2014, Childers was hired at Baylor.

Childers said he uses practices he learned during his time supervising protective operations for President George W. Bush and has brought them to Baylor. 

"When fans come here it doesn't matter what game, how many fans. They're going to get the gold standard of major event security when they step on to this premises," Childers said.

The security goes beyond the metal detectors in front of the gates at the stadium. Childers said they start planning their security plan for the next year after the last football game of the season.

"You look around the world at what's happening overseas, even domestically with terrorism, active shooter, whatever it may be. And quite frankly we have a zero failure rate. We cannot afford to have anything bad happen on our watch," Childers said.

Inside the command post, there are members from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Texas Department of Public Safety, Waco Police and the McLennnan County Sheriff's Office.

Officers are doing bomb sweeps, boat patrols and monitoring everything in and outside the stadium. 

"We want to make sure to balance that high level of security with the fan experience."

Childers said more than 100 law enforcement officers help with the security. He added without the help from local law enforcement agencies, the extent of their security plan would not be possible. 

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