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.
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.
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