Security ramped up for local Pride Festival
On Wednesday, officers were being debriefed on the Pulse nightclub shooting at the COPSWEST Expo & Training event held at the Palm Springs Convention Center, across the city organizers for the Greater Palm Springs Pride Festival were handling last-minute details.
Read:California Peace Officers’ Association Expo in Palm Springs
This all just one day after the latest terrorist attack on U.S. soil killed eight people.
Despite the attack, some attendees are looking forward to the event.
“I used to live in NYC on that Westside Highway, right where those people were attacked. It was just a nice place to walk down to the World Trade Center. So, it really hit home to me when I saw that,” said Tom Beatty, who will attend the festival.
Ron DeHarte, the president of Greater Palm Springs Pride says the event is expected to grow this year by 35 percent with an estimate of 125,000 in attendance.
DeHarte says he has full confidence in security at the event.
“You plan year round for the safety and security of all participants and that’s part of our overall operations plan to ensure we have a safe, fun, exciting event planned for all of our participants,” said DeHarte.
The Palm Springs Police Department reiterates that sentiment and says New York City’s deadly attack only makes their efforts stronger.
“We reassessed our current security efforts that we have in place and as a result, we are going to make some changes to our equipment and personnel,” said Sgt. William Hutchinson.
Palm Springs Police Department says festival attendees also need to do their part to stay safe.
They caution people to be aware of their surroundings.
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