In light of the tragic shooting that occurred months ago at the Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, ULTRA music festival organizers and the Miami police force are now expanding their security plan for the annual downtown event.
As reported by the ‘Miami Herald’, the new security measures include “putting more eyes” on the adjacent Biscayne Boulevard buildings, and the placement of snipers in locations overlooking the park. This would allow for better access for potential shooters to be seen.
Marine patrol will also be guarding the park’s eastern edge, and these units will scan the area before the three-day festival begins on March 23rd. Ultra is expected to draw at least 50,000 festival-goers per day.
Miami mayor Francis Suarez stated the following on the increase in security:
“The department sees what’s going on in other parts of the world and adapts. You have to adapt your tactics to protect the residents.”
The majority of the new security measures plan to target risks outside and above the festival area. A group of plainclothes officers have been scheduled to check on the buildings along the boulevard, and more than 300 officers total will be assisting to help patrol the event.
Police chief Jorge Colina commented, “We’re constantly seeing what happens around the country and the world. If you can predict something, you can prevent it,” He then added, “We want people to go to the event and have a good time, not scare them.”
