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During the 1984 Summer Olympics, Charles Beck was a young Los Angeles police sergeant assigned to patrol the Athletes Village at UCLA and the Coliseum.

An overview of the opening ceremony at the Los Angeles Coliseum during the lighting of the Olympic flame of the 1984 Summer Olympics. (Credit: Getty Images)

There was a lot of security, the now-chief recalled, along with police helicopters patrolling by air and bomb squads on hand.

But the nearest thing to high technology was an electronic badge system: 4 x 5 identity cards for athletes, dignitaries and journalists that gave them access to secure facilities during the games.

Come the 2028 Olympic Games, technology will play a much more central role in protecting the games. Modern-day defense isn’t about a show of force as much as detection, prevention and disruption, Beck and others said.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.