Coachella Fest security will now include drones & tourniquets

Police plan to utilize drones and tourniquets as part of security measures at next month’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival for the first time in the event’s history.

The Indio Police Department, which handles the bulk of law enforcement duties at the annual Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, will use drones to manage security, traffic and crowd management at the Empire Polo Grounds, according to Sgt. Daniel Marshall. The drones will be rolled out in partnership with festival promoters, the sergeant said.

In addition, officers will carry tactical tourniquets on their belts, though Marshall noted that Indio PD personnel began doing so about two months ago in a move not specific to the festivals.

“We’re often the first people at the scene,” said Marshall, who noted that a tourniquet was recently used by an officer at the scene of a traffic crash in which a victim was losing blood due to a serious leg injury.

Use of tactical medical equipment among law enforcement agencies has become a talking point following recent mass shootings, such as last fall’s devastating Route 91 Harvest music festival tragedy in Las Vegas.

Marshall noted that each year prior to the festival, the department engages in preparations for “major incidents.”

“We always train for those situations. We have to prepare,” Marshall said.

The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will be held on the weekends of April 13-15 and April 20-22, with Beyonce, Eminem, and the Weeknd as the headliners.

The Stagecoach Music Festival is set for April 27-29 and will feature Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, and Florida Georgia Line.