From the outside, it appears that University of Oregon Department of Public Safety lieutenant Herb Horner randomly stares off into the distance from time to time. Moments pass with eyes fixed on no particular object, hand braced on his collar where his radio is clipped. Suddenly life snaps back to the lieutenant’s eyes as his fingers constrict and he begins speaking.
“Ocean 27 Lincoln 20,” he said. The clear, coiled wire running up the back of his collard uniform speaks directly into his ear, and after a couple seconds of a pause he resumes.  “Are you guys clear of the event now? Copy, I gave Ocean 20 instructions for you guys and when I’m clear, I’ll return to East for a briefing.”
“As long as the radio is on, you’re never off the clock,” he said, shifting his gaze back from his mind to the foreground. A slight grin reveals itself as he drops his hand back away from the radio.
Horner went through this drill four years ago during the 2008 Olympic Trials. In comparison to his experience then, Horner feels much more prepared now that he knows what is coming.
“I think what we did in ’08 was we planned for the worst and hoped for the best,” Horner said. “We may have even overdone it a little bit.”
Ultimately, the over-preparation paid off. Overall, the security at the trials was phenomenal in ’08, said Horner. The only problems they ran into happened early on in the trials, and were caught quickly.
“We had a lot of bad guys — pickpockets, thieves, mainly looking for crimes of opportunity — in the first three days targeting innocent people,” Horner said. “We were really busy for those first three days and then they were gone. The remaining of the event was just a cruise for everybody.”
Horner and DPS have been preparing for this year’s trials for the past two years, taking every lesson learned from 2008 into account and anticipating similarities. But they haven’t had nearly as many problems as they had in ’08. In his opinion, it could be the rain deterring criminals. But, most likely, it was because of the rigorous planning and training officers and departments needed to go through.
“The planning for this thing started about two years ago,” Horner said. “There have been monthly meetings, then twice a month, then weekly building up to today. So, it’s been quite intense.”
And it wasn’t just DPS. Horner and his colleagues worked with departments ranging from Eugene Police Department to the parking and transportation committee, working to obtain the goal of safety and comfort for athletes and spectators alike.
“It’s really interesting to be a part of something like this,” Horner said. “It’s not something that happens to too many people in their career.”
Regardless, no matter the amount of perpetration or experience, Horner is always watching over his shoulder making sure that everything is running smoothly. Staying focused and aware at all times is an absolute necessity. Listening for even the slightest strangeness in behavior could tip him off to something bigger. At the end of his shift, Horner is left physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted.
“We just want to be the invisible in all of this and not have to be seen or heard from,” he said. “But, if it’s required, then that’s what we train for and that’s what we plan for — we’ll do whatever needs to be done.”