North Carolina National Guard recruiting centers now protected by armed guards
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Armed guards are now posted at all of North Carolina's National Guard recruiting centers.
Wednesday, ABC11 visited one of those centers at Cary Towne Center where military police officers were carrying sidearms.
Not long after five military members were killed in Chattanooga during an attack last week, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory pledged, "We will be vigilant about protecting those who protect us."
A spokesperson for the state Department of Public Safety, which oversees the state National Guard, said officials got together and developed a plan.
"We started assessing security and tried to determine what was needed to heighten security at those locations," Pamela Walker told ABC11. "So very careful deliberations, very carefully reviewing those situations and made procedures and put procedures in place to step up security."
Just a few feet away at Cary Towne Center is a recruiting center for all other branches of the U.S. military.
It's not clear what additional security may be inside those offices, but outside there are a number of hand written messages scrawled on a poster board.
The board has stickers spelling out "Thank you for your service" and was apparently placed there by a citizen.
On the poster are markers so people can leave comments. Many have including some who expressed their sorrow over the loss in Chattanooga.
As for the security now in place at state National Guard recruiting centers, officials are reluctant to reveal much more about their plans for obvious reasons.
It's not clear how long the armed guards will remain in place.
