In the wake of a horrific shooting during a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie at a Colorado theater, the Connecticut State Police will be making regular checks on facilities today where people gather en masse, a spokesman told Patch Media Corp.
“We’ll certainly increase our frequency, let’s put it that way,” said Lt. J. Paul Vance, Connecticut State Police spokesman. “We’ll be visible and we’ll make additional checks of areas and large facilities where people converge.”
Vance said the state police are monitoring the news reports surrounding events of the Aurora, Colo., shooting. Because of public concern over the incident, the state police will make themselves visible as a precaution, Vance said.
Movie theaters nationwide are also taking precautions.
AMC Theaters is bumping up security measures at all locations throughout the country, including those in Danbury and Plainville. The company announced Friday it is prohibiting guests into its theatres that wear costumes and masks or who carry fake guns.
The national movie theater company announced the policy change on its Facebook page Friday in light of the tragic shooting in Colorado at a movie theater by a heavily armed gunman. The incident has left 12 people dead and injured 71 injured.
Oftentimes during blockbuster movie premiers — such as Star Wars, Harry Potter or Twilight — ardent fans will don costumes that resemble the characters of the film.
At the same time, AMC said its reinforcing its security procedures and coordinating such efforts with local authorities.
“We are taking necessary precautions to ensure our guests who wish to enjoy a movie this weekend can do so with as much peace of mind as possible in these circumstances,” the statement read.
Actor, filmmaker and owner of the nightclub in Middletown, David Gere, plays a mercenary in "The Dark Knight Rises." He's shocked at the Colorado shooting rampage.
"It's very tragic," Gere said. "The set was highly secure, and ultra-professional as it gets. The production team took extreme measures to make sure nothing went wrong on set, as there were many extras involved in a key showdown between Batman and Bane in the streets of New York City."
"I'm sure that no one could've imagined a tragedy such as this upon the release of the film," Gere said.
A gunman reportedly walked into the theater and unleashed a tear gas-type substance as movie goers were watching a screening of “Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.” The heavily armed suspect then opened fire at the crowded theater.
The Huffington Post has identified the suspect as 24-year-old James Holmes. He was later caught outside the theater.
As tragic as the event was, Vance noted that this shouldn’t cause panic in the minds of the public. But in an interest of public safety, state police patrol cars will make regular checks on facilities where people gather in en masse.
“But we also want people to understand that they should be vigilant and observant,” Vance said. “Some of the basic common sense measures when they go into a facility that holds many people know where the exits are.”
And, as always, if a person sees something suspicious, they should report it to the proper authorities, he said.
“We will do our part being visible and making periodic checks,” he said.
The New York Police Department has implemented a similar security boost earlier today, when Commissioner Ray Kelly said there would be more officers at movie theaters as a precaution against copycats and to raise movie goers’ comfort levels, .
