Sacramento Kings Preseason Opener Sees More Security In Wake Of Las Vegas Shooting

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — In the wake of a Las Vegas shooting that left nearly 60 people dead, Sacramento police tripled patrols at the Golden 1 Center for the Kings' first preseason game of the year.

And for many, excitement is overshadowed by safety concerns, following the deadliest mass shooting in U.S history.

"We had a lot of fun in Las Vegas—we imagine what could happen if we were there," said German tourist Wolfgang Hoetter.

Hoetter and his wife were just in Las Vegas.

"It's awful really awful," he said.

They're in Sacramento now, taking pictures of Downtown's grand sports arena. And they can't help but think about the vulnerabilities this public venue poses. In Europe, they also call them "soft targets."

"Really if you have a lot of people, you never know who has a gun or a pistol or someone's driving with a truck into the visitors' unit," he said.

"We want to make people feel welcome here make them feel they're safe. We don't want them to have the feeling to stay inside or not come down to an event because of what happened in Las Vegas," said Sacramento Police spokeswoman Linda Matthew.

She says more officers will monitor downtown from dozens of high-definition cameras mounted on traffic lights. Meanwhile, officers will be on foot, on bikes, in uniform and undercover manning all entry points.

"We don't want it to happen in our town," said another fan.

Kings officials say they work in conjunction with local state and federal law enforcement to secure the arena. But as a safety precaution, they aren't willing to discuss specific security measures or whether they plan to add any. For now, cars entering the underground parking structure are checked, and fans go through metal detectors, mandatory for all sports arenas.

The key for Wolfgang? Awareness.

"Yes we have to keep an open eye," he said.