KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — The execution of Nidal Hasan is a few weeks away, and the Killeen Police Department has been preparing since the news dropped. I spoke with the chief about how they are planning to prioritize safety during that time.
Killeen police will have all hands on deck during the week of the execution of Hasan, the man responsible for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. Police Chief Pedro Lopez says the city is expected to have more people in the area.
"That plan consists of working with our partner agencies, with Fort Hood DES, with Fort Hood CID, with Bell County Sheriff's Department, and all the local agencies to make sure our citizens are protected. Safety is a shared responsibility, and we as an agency, we can't do it by ourselves, so we always call in on our local law enforcement partners to help us out," Lopez said.
The department is bracing for a significant increase in activity in the area.
"We expected to see increased traffic. There's gonna be congestion, there's gonna be a lot of media around. There might be potentially some protesters, and that's our biggest concerns," Lopez said.
Thursday, Killeen ISD announced it will be closing all campuses, followed by the city announcing Friday it will also close its offices that day due to the national attention and increased activity.
Lopez is urging the public to stay clear of the area on the day of the execution.
"When the day happens on December 3rd, please avoid the areas of Fort Hood. We want to at least reduce as much congestion as possible, so Fort Hood is also limiting their entrance on their base. KISD just announced that will help us make sure we keep our citizens safe and away from any potential trouble," Lopez said.
The city will have its Christmas tree lighting the following day, which Lopez says adds to the department's presence plans.
"We plan to have, for the execution, we plan to have four 12-hour operational periods, beginning on December 2, and ending on the 4th, at 5 o'clock. If anything happens between the 3rd and the 4th, we have to adjust our plan, but we should be able to cover both events with the resources that we have internally," Lopez said.
Police are also asking the public to reach out if they see any suspicious activity as time draws near for the execution.
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