Person of interest sought after car drives through security fences at South Carolina nuclear plant

cmbabul , 8 months ago

Well that’s horrifying, I always assumed someone attempting something this potentially destructive would have been put down 100 yards outside the gate

be_excellent_to_each_other OP , 8 months ago

I would guess complacency initially (can't recall a similar incident in recent memory), and also some of the language in the article lead me to believe that a particular threshold wasn't crossed. Maybe that threshold is the only level of threat under which they are allowed to respond with deadly force. (that's just rampant speculation on my part)

I get the impression they were private security not police, so that would explain them being less trigger happy.

SheeEttin , 8 months ago

The article says he’d previously been turned away at the gate, so they knew what level of threat they were dealing with.

be_excellent_to_each_other OP , 8 months ago

Fair, however:

A man operating a silver 2002 Toyota Camry approached the restricted area twice, though never accessed the plant, officials said.

So this sounds like he was inside the perimeter but potentially not within the boundaries of a higher security interior zone, to me. It may not mean that at all, but if it does it might explain (see my comment above) that they weren't authorized to use force under the circumstances.

Again, I recognize this is just speculation on my part, just explaining my thought process.

SheeEttin , 8 months ago

The restricted area is basically the entire grounds, excepting one parking lot and the front of what looks like an office building.

Restricted area means an area, access to which is limited by the licensee for the purpose of protecting individuals against undue risks from exposure to radiation and radioactive materials.

www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/…/full-text.html#part020-1…

If you look at it on Google Street view, you can see a “restricted area” sign on the fence right next to the highway.