LAPD to brief private security on Nairobi attack

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Police Department's Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau will meet with private security leaders next month to discuss lessons learned from a Nairobi terrorist attack that left 67 people dead.

Deputy Chief Michael Downing, who will lead the discussion, said the Oct. 15 meeting will include heads of private security representing some 45,000 security guards, including those who work at malls, hotels, clubs, sporting venues and high-rises.

He says the group will "debrief" on what occurred in Kenya, where militants attacked an upscale mall last weekend and settled in for a four-day siege.

The group will talk about how to deal with shooters, how to identify and protect vulnerable areas known as "soft targets," which are frequented by the public and usually difficult to defend. They'll also work to find ways to improve the exchange of information between private security and law enforcement.

The meeting will help the LAPD leverage resources by adding more eyes and ears in the community, and possibly help develop intelligence through improved information flow, Downing said.

Because the level of training for private security may also differ from one company to the next, the meeting will also hopefully calm anxiety among private security guards by creating protocols in the case of an attack.

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Tami Abdollah can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/latams .