Philly cops: Vegas massacre will inform our planning for large-scale events

Philadelphia Police said Monday that Stephen Paddock, the suspected shooter in the Las Vegas attack, had no known connection to the Philadelphia region — but that officials here would continue to monitor the situation and study it to inform their planning for similar large-scale events in the future.

"We're continually looking at every terror event, every active shooter [situation]," said Deputy Commissioner Dennis Wilson. "We look at our policies for prevention and response and try to get better."

Wilson, speaking at a news conference at Police Headquarters, said the department has a detailed plan for events that attract large crowds, variations of which have been deployed for the Pope's visit in 2015, the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the NFL Draft this spring, and concerts such as Made in America and the Fourth of July.

Considerations include setting up security perimeters, tailoring patrol schedules, speaking with building and hotel owners before the event, and investigating tip calls from residents, Wilson said.

Officers are trained in how to handle active shooters and other live threats, Wilson said, with the first steps being identifying any attackers to try to stop them, and treating victims.

Police are always adjusting their plans, Wilson said, but he added that the department would pay attention to the fallout from Las Vegas to see if it could help alter their strategies for the future.

"We're going to look at this closely and look at how we do business," he said.