INDIANAPOLIS — Security for major events across the country has recently been called into question. At the same time, multiple law enforcement agencies are planning to collaborate to ensure a safe trip to Indianapolis by Vice President Kamala Harris next week.

The vice president is scheduled to speak during an event hosted by the Zeta Phi Beta sorority next Wednesday at the Convention Center. Indiana is the 24th state she’s visited this year, but this trip comes on the heels of a security failure that could’ve cost former president Donald Trump his life.

“There’s going to be a lot of effort put into this and everybody’s on edge, especially with the political climate right now and the incident with Trump that just happened,” Security expert and former FBI agent Doug Kouns said. “I think everything is going to be amped up another whole level.”

Kouns said it’s hard to predict how any protocols might change, especially pending the results of the investigation into Saturday’s shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania.

“We always learn from our mistakes, right? So they’ll do an after-action report analysis, figure out where the breakdown was and initiate a process to make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” Kouns explained.

Kouns said local law enforcement agencies will likely review and improve upon successful plans from previous large-scale events. When asked what attendees can expect next week, a spokesperson for the Indiana Convention Center said that would fall under the purview of the Secret Service. And despite any public scrutiny the Secret Service is now facing, Kouns is confident in the agency.

“I still think they’re the best there is as far as physical security and executive protection goes and I think we all should,” Kouns added.

His advice if you’re planning to attend any event with a high-profile figure is to be mindful of your surroundings, know where the exits are and speak up if you see something unusual.

“Nothing had happened for 40-some-odd years. So, maybe we just don’t, in the back of our minds, think that something like this can happen in this day and age when we have so many security measures already in place and yet it does,” Kouns said. “So it just reminds us all to be hyper-vigilant.”

IMPD officials said they are currently working on the plan for next week with federal partners, so no details can be shared yet about what it will entail.

INDIANAPOLIS–The National Eucharistic Congress has gotten underway in Indianapolis. It is the first Congress in 83 years. More than 50,000 Catholics will be in attendance in what is a gathering of clergy, other religious leaders, and lay people to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Events are taking place at both Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Convention Center, and other sites from Wednesday July 17 through Sunday July 21. The Congress chose to hold this event in Indianapolis because of its central location and its ability to host large events in a walkable area.

It is the culmination of four cross-country pilgrimages by devout Catholics. Thousands of Catholics processions will walk from the Convention Center up to the Indiana War Memorial on Saturday from 3 to 5 pm. You can expect several road closures in the area.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says they’ve spent a great deal of time getting ready for this event.

“This is unique. We have worked several major events to include parades in the past.  None of those major events were the size of what this will be. It’s challenging with our resources, but I think we’ve been planning on this for about a year with the NEC and our state police partners. I think we have a good plan in place and I don’t foresee any specific major issues,” said IMPD Officer Chuck Deblaso.

He says they have been working with investigators at both the federal and state level to see if there are any threats.

“At this point, we have no derogatory information that would impact this event,” said Deblaso.

Joel Stepanek is one of the Congress’ organizers.

“I think that sometimes our love can grow a little bit cold and so this is an opportunity for the faithful to revitalize their belief and then to go out into a world where they can serve and bring the love of Christ to others,” said Stepanek.

The last National Eucharistic Congress was held in 1941 in Minnesota. An international eucharistic congress was held in Philadelphia in 1976, with well-known Catholics like Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day and Pope John Paul II in attendance.

INDIANAPOLIS — Cut through the sweltering heat with an ice-cold glass of lemonade from stands popping up across Indianapolis on Thursday – while helping children along the way.  

On Thursday, Coburn Place is hosting three lemonade stands to raise money for children of survivors of domestic violence.  

The funds will go toward school supplies, field trip fees, movie passes for good grades, prom dresses and more for the kids. The organization hopes to raise $25,000.  

The three stands will last from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the following locations: 

Donations can also be made by a “virtual lemonade stand” at coburnplace.org/lemons/ or through mail to Coburn Place at 604 E. 38^th St. 

Coburn Place offers transitional housing and social services to domestic violence survivors.   

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com