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Kennywood Park officials said Wednesday they will add new security protocols and a chaperone policy before reopening this weekend after a triple shooting inside the park.
The chaperone policy requires anyone under 17 to be accompanied by an adult 21 or older at all times. Masks are banned after 6 p.m., except for medical masks, and security will conduct more bag spot checks and closely monitor perimeter fences.
An altercation between two groups of juveniles led to a 39-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy being shot in the leg and another 15-year-old boy suffering a grazing wound Saturday night. A gun found near the shooting scene had been stolen from a vehicle in Columbus, Ohio, about a year ago, police said.
Safety updates at Kennywood include a new chaperone policy that requires anyone under 17 be accompanied by an adult over 21 at all times, a ban on masks after 6 pm (except medical masks), additional bag spot checks and better monitoring around perimeter fences. pic.twitter.com/4ZtaGtLFQu
— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) September 28, 2022
Kennywood General Manager Mark Pauls said officials still do not know how the weapon was smuggled into the park, but security will be heightened along the perimeter fence. He acknowledged some people have speculated a gun could have been tossed over or snuck through the fence, and he said people have jumped the fence to enter the park in the past.
Last weekend, he said, police and park security randomly patrolled the fence. This week, security guards will be stationed along it. Additional spotlights and cameras will be in use along the park’s perimeter.
“We cut down some trees along the perimeter of the fence line, and we installed lights so you’ll be lit up all along the fence line,” Pauls said.
A new bag policy going into effect this weekend will limit the size of bags to 8 inches by 5 inches by 1 inch, with exceptions made for medical and diaper bags.
Saturday was Kennywood’s first night of its annual Phantom Fall Fest. The event was canceled Sunday, but the park said it intends to reopen Friday.
Kennywood uses weapons detection systems from Massachusetts-based Evolv Technologies. Evolv detectors also are used at Acrisure Stadium, a spokesperson said.
The system highlights where a person may be carrying a weapon. Security guards are equipped with these tablets so they can see where they need to search someone. pic.twitter.com/WYLqiClRpT
— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) September 28, 2022
The detection system is not meant to show an alert over common items such as cellphones, keys or jewelry, Pauls said, which is why people reported being able to walk through the units last week with such items in their pockets. It also scans purses and bags, so people don’t need to empty such items out of their bags, either.
Rather, the system is designed specifically to provide an alert to weapons, said Rick Abraham, vice president of Evolv Technologies, who attended Wednesday’s news conference.
“We want people to just walk right through,” he said. “It’s not supposed to alert on your phone or your keys or anything you might have on you.”
If the system senses something that might be a weapon, Abraham said, a light on the back of the machine turns red, and security guards manning the entrance are notified on tablets connected to the device. The tablet shows an image of the individual who set off the alarm and highlights where the person is carrying the item that caused the alert.
Security guards then pull those individuals aside to determine what item set off the weapons detection system, Abraham said.
Pauls said the system has caught knives, as well as guns on off-duty police officers, which he suggested proves their effectiveness.
He said there were “no glitches” with the system Saturday but declined to say what sensitivity setting was being used.
To avoid confusion among guests, Pauls said, the park is removing old metal detectors that were in use in previous seasons. He said some guests could have been concerned last weekend when they saw those inoperable metal detectors beyond the newer Evolv system.
Additionally, Kennywood said it plans to increase police presence Friday.
“We are doubling the number of police officers contracted through local law enforcement agencies for each night of Phantom Fall Fest,” the park said in a statement. “There will be a more visible police presence at the entrance and throughout the park.”
Pauls declined to say exactly how many police officers or unarmed Kennywood security personnel are present in the park.
“We have plenty of security coverage,” he said. “We’re not short-staffed.”
Allegheny County police Superintendent Christopher Kearns previously told the Trib five county police officers and two West Mifflin officers were working a security detail at Kennywood on Saturday night.
Rick Abraham, vice president with Evolv Technology, showed how their weapons detection system works. He said the system is meant to allow phones, keys, etc. to go through, while stopping weapons. pic.twitter.com/MgiNWWJ0EP
— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) September 28, 2022
Julia Felton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Julia by email at jfelton@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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