Trapping tourists who drive over from Las Vegas? Each year many people drive from Las Vegas while on vacation to check out Area 51. They drive down Nevada State Route 375 also known as ‘The Extraterrestrial Highway’ to the gate where signs deter visitors from going any further under penalty of fines, jail and security personnel with ‘authorization to shoot’.
The stories we hear about the security forces which patrol the fence line, also known as ‘cammo dudes’ for their clothing, are sometimes shocking. Menacing the people who come to close. Manhandling sightseers. Detaining them for untold amounts of time. We even hear stories of people being shot at or even actually shot and then they’re not heard from again or end up in Las Vegas hospitals refusing to speak about their experiences.
In actuality, these people who patrol the fence line are security personnel employed most likely by EG&G or some other equally mundane security company. When sightseers cross the line, they are detained, personal information is recorded and they are turned over to the county authorities, usually the sheriff.
