 |
| Bill Cosby will not be there this year. |
Focus on Safety: As in years past, “the Pasadena Police Department is well prepared for the 2017 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game,” said Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez. “We are working with local, state and federal law enforcement officials to ensure the events are as safe as possible,” said Sanchez said.
As of the last week of December, there were no known threats to the game or the parade, the chief said.
Besides the regular police presence, much like last year there will be a dozen so-called rapid response teams, ground-level and air surveillance that can monitor the entire parade route, and officers using license plate scanners.
Other agencies taking part in the policing the event include the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service.
Also like last year, no-fly zones over the parade and the Rose Bowl have been imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Drones are also prohibited at the parade and the game.
Along the parade route, tents, sofas and boxes of any type that can be used as stools or seats are prohibited. Unoccupied chairs are not allowed and will be removed.
Open containers of alcohol are illegal on public streets, sidewalks and all other public areas, and violators may be cited or arrested. Police will also crack down on use of silly string, as well as marshmallow and tortilla throwing along the route. Umbrellas are also banned. Spectators are encouraged to wear ponchos due to the cold weather. According to extended weather forecasts, it should be cloudy and in the upper 50s on Jan. 2, the day of the game and parade.
Mod: You can read the rest of this article by clicking on the link supplied above. I am not sure if the bans on tortilla throwing and silly string are going to be enough. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. There is also this highly dire sounding information provided by the Pasadena Star News (link):
Pasadena police barricading 56 routes to Rose Parade with water-filled barriers to prevent truck attacks: The Pasadena Police Department will lock down 56 streets near the Rose Parade this year with water barricades, police cruisers and armed officers in an attempt to prevent a truck attack similar to deadly incidents in Berlin, Germany and Nice, France.
Though no known threats exist, Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said the Rose Parade’s heightened and constantly evolving security is now the norm for the annual New Year’s celebration, which attracts hundreds of thousands from around the world.
The parade, which is normally on New Year’s Day, is on Monday, Jan. 2 this year due to the Tournament of Roses’ “never on a Sunday” rule.
“This will be very obvious to you when you arrive at the parade route,” Sanchez said Wednesday at a press conference detailing local and federal authorities efforts to secure the event.
The city is installing the barriers on side streets beginning at 5 p.m., Sunday. The parade route won’t close until 7 a.m., Monday.
Sanchez said the decision to use barricades is in response to previous incidents throughout the world.
In July, a terrorist killed 86 people in Nice, France after driving into a large crowd watching fireworks on Bastille Day. Then on Dec. 19, a man in a semi-truck struck and killed 12 people at a Christmas Market in Berlin. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for both attacks.
To prevent a similar attack in Pasadena, the city is closing off all 56 streets that connect to the parade route, Sanchez said.
“We’re trying to take the speed out of the equation,” Sanchez said of the barricades.
Mod: The rest of this article is available at the link supplied above.
sierramadretattler.blogspot.com