The Boston Marathon bombings are prompting one of Ohio's top cops to order beefed-up security at some big public events. Colonel John Born heads the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Born: We are stepping up our presence at certain key locations and facilities. And you'll likely see a great presence of troopers, whether that's a uniformed presence or maybe our special response team at certain events. We did that after September 11th on a sustained presence for example at Ohio State football games. And so we'll be in some areas where maybe you haven't seen us before.
The patrol's superintendent says officials are concerned about the potential for a copycat crime. Born says troopers will work with other law enforcement agencies to make sure there are both visible and behind-the-scenes security efforts at events that draw significant crowds, such as marathons, baseball and football games, other sports events and charity events. And he adds – the Boston Marathon bombings are just the latest evidence of how important it is for the public to report suspicious packages and suspicious people. Organizers of the Cleveland Marathon say discussions are underway about adding security for the event next month. This follows the explosions at the Boston Marathon that killed or injured several people on Monday. Executive Director Jack Staph says organizers currently plan to add more police patrols and bomb-sniffing dogs.
Staph: We have a fairly good protocol for security. We definitely will study what happened in Boston, increase our security for sure. I don't know on race day how many more we would add, there certainly will be some. ButT we certainly would add more of a scrutiny, more of an investigation, in the days prior to the race.
Several other running race organizers in Ohio are considering adding security, including the U.S. Air Force Marathon in Dayton are looking at security upgrades to protect runners and spectators. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base officials say they'll prepare for what happened in Boston and work to deter a copycat bombing. As many as 15-thousand runners are expected to participate in September.