The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off starts Wednesday, bringing 23 rib cookers from around the country. Officials say it could also attract up to 500,000 people. Some of them will attend the event more than once. With so many people, security is one of the event's priorities.
"I know that all the public safety agencies in this state do everything that they can to try to make people feel safe in their communities and this is just another extension of that," Deputy Chief Ryan Miller, Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) said.
DPS oversees the Nevada Threat Analysis Center (NTAC), which is part of a federal, state and local partnership to detect and prevent terrorism and other threats. It also relies on the public to report things that seem out of the ordinary.
"Recent events over the years cause us always to see how we can do things better and what more we can do to try to help ensure the safety of those attending events and those participating in different events," Miller said.
Those events include the One October shooting in Las Vegas, nearly two years ago. More recently, a gunman opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, killing three people and injuring 13 others. The shooters died in both incidents. Longtime rib cook-off participants say it's hard to ignore past incidents.
"We run cash businesses, so we're always thinking about that but with the large crowds and the public events where people can just come from all different directions, it's definitely something we have to think about," Alyson Lupinetti, Owner of Butch's Smack Your Lips BBQ said.
The Sparks Police Department will oversee the rib cook-off, with the help of the Reno Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff's Office, Nugget Security and another outside security company. Officials say more than 100 officers will be at the event, among the crowd.
"They do a great job here. You see a huge police presence, tactical teams," Lupinetti said.
Along with the extra law enforcement, NTAC is asking people to do their part, and pay attention to their surroundings. If they know of a threat, they are encouraged to call local public safety agencies or report it on keepnevadasafe.org. Rib cookers say it takes everyone to keep the event safe.
"If you see something, say something," Joe Alexander, Owner of Rasta Joe's BBQ said. "Real easy but I think the event overall, the safety is going to be huge. They're in places where you won't even be able to drive in here tomorrow."
The event runs from August 28 through September 2.
