KC Scout employees assist in NFL Draft efforts

From a World Series Championship, two Superbowl wins, celebratory parades, and the Big 12 Championship, Kansas City is a busy place! Each of these major events brought in thousands of visitors to the city - and quite a bit of traffic! This year, Kansas City hosted the NFL Draft and because of that influx of traffic, two KC Scout employees were called to assist! 

KC Scout's Incident Coordinator Marcus Slaughter and KDOT Liaison Michael Flory represented KC Scout in the event's main command center. The duo aided the team in their efforts to monitor highway traffic into downtown. This involved quite a bit of camera monitoring (nearly 14 hours of it!) and making sure attendees weren't parking along the interstates or impeding regular traffic.

Slaughter was asked to join the team by the NFL and community partners on behalf KC Scout representing both Missouri and Kansas. 

"This wasn't our first rodeo," explains Slaughter. "The 2015 World Series Championship with the Royals and two Superbowl wins by the Chiefs prepared us well. Working with law enforcement, emergency response, and maintenance, helped us to discourage non-permitted parking, thus keeping traffic flowing."

In addition to the experience gained from other events, Flory also serves the command center for the Chiefs during their normal season. Flory began working with the Chiefs in 2015 and assists the team with parking, monitoring highway traffic, and updating the Chiefs staff on roadway incidents that might impact stadium traffic. He also helps fans get to the stadium and notifies the appropriate authorities to respond in the event of a medical emergency.

Slaughter says during bigger KC events, KC Scout typically is involved in the city's emergency management center and both Slaughter and Flory agree; the NFL draft was one of the larger events KC Scout has assisted with in recent years.

"Being involved in this event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," explains Flory. "We were able to see some of the technology being used and I was able to meet up with others who work out of Arrowhead on game day so it was good to catch up with them."

"The NFL's operation was much larger and even the FBI was in the room. I've never experienced that level of security before," Slaughter explains.

MoDOT was also heavily involved in the planning of NFL Draft in terms of litter pick up and various major construction projects in the area requiring extra traffic control. The planning that went into this event between all the agencies highlights the importance of teamwork; a value KC Scout takes seriously as a bi-state agency.

"Without the comradery and teamwork between our states, we could not be successful in what we do. At the end of the day, we want everyone to go home safely - including our crews, residents, and the thousands of visitors we've hosted this year," said KC Scout Manager Randy Johnson.