EXCLUSIVE: Thanks to the ongoing pandemic, the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards are scaled down in more ways than one – especially when it comes to conspicuous security.
“We’ll be just as present and on-site as always, but much less visible than usual,” a law enforcement official told Deadline today of the LAPD and other agencies apparent role at the DTLA event. “Measures in place to safeguard against the coronavirus, the protocols required for everyone at the ceremony and a generally smaller crowd have supplemented procedures that are often on the street,” the insider added.
Another law enforcement officer tells us that protection at the Emmys is this year is best summed up as “status-quo and behind-the-scenes.” She also stated that with the Covid-check points in place, there’s already a pretty streamlined process in place for those Emmy nominees entering the building.
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Deadline's Emmys Live BlogCorrespondingly, while the area surrounding the Staples Centre is clearly cordoned off, you may not see the SWAT, K-9 bomb trucks in plain sight as previous years. They’ll be parked on a side street, ready in case there’s any problems at LA’s downtown Microsoft theater.
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Two years ago, the last time the Emmys were in person, there was concern over President Donald Trump’s instigation of radical red wingers, i.e. he declared at the time “Hollywood is Racist”. However, after an anti-climactic U.S. Capitol protest yesterday in which police outnumbered those presents, the threat level tonight at the Primetime Emmys is significantly less.
“Look, it’s downtown L.A., there’s protests every day there,” says Kent Moyer, CEO/President of World Protection Group. But in the Covid era, “there’s a 300% chance of a medical emergency (tonight) than a physical attack on a person, which is an important element of planning” he adds.
“When President Joe Biden came to Long Beach, we did intel on how many protests there would be and it was estimated to be around 1,000. There’s not going to be that type of turnout at the Emmys, possibly 25, 50 or 100. But I don’t see anything that is really controversial this year with a TV show or the Emmys,” Moyer says.
Lacking a seat packed theater this year, the Cedric the Entertainer hosted CBS broadcast ceremony will be held under a tent at the L.A. Live complex, much like the Trevor Noah fronted Grammys back in March. That approach will see most the nominees in attendance seated a tables more suited to a dinner than TV’s biggest night.
Subsequently, a number of presenters tonight who aren’t nominees intend to arrive nit long before their slot and exit soon after walking off stage, we hear.
“That tactic keeps things fluid and fast moving, which is optimal from a security perspective,” the well place law enforcement official exclaimed of the revolving door of presenters, “because your hot zone, so to speak, remains relatively constrained.
The LAPD did not respond to requests from Deadline for an official comment on its security plans for tonight’s Ian Stewart and Reginald Hudlin EP’d Emmys. We will update this story if and when they do.
