Made in America: Philadelphia police, security will be highly visible
FAIRMOUNT - Organizers are putting the final touches on Made in America before it kicks off Saturday and safety is a big concern for all involved.
It’s mic check time along the Parkway on the eve of the Made in America concert and festival.
Stages and tents are in place for the star-studded show. And, so are police officers.
"You want it to be perfect. You want people to come here, you want them to have a great time and you want them to feel safe, so there’s a little bit of pressure," explained Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Mike Cram.
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Law enforcement and city leaders say they have made necessary adjustments to security, based on previous large-scale events in Philadelphia and other places.
"We work very closely with the highly capable security for Made in America and along with police, federal partners collecting info in real time, I just want to be clear, the problems we had 4th of July didn’t come from the event. It came from some knucklehead two miles away shooting a gun in the air," Mayor Jim Kenney stated.
Mayor Kenney talking about the city’s July 4th Welcome America concert on the Parkway. Not far away, gunfire led to a stampede and two officers shot.
Former Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Joe Sullivan says the level of gun crime in Philly is a major concern. Big events are an added pressure. "Combine that with the critically low manpower levels with the Philadelphia Police Department, it can’t be ignored."
He says security will be highly visible.
"What they’re going to see, and they should be assured by, is a lot of uniformed police deployed in very different modes. Obviously K9 out there that will be sweeping the area. Officers doing air monitoring and looking for suspicious devices. People should be grateful for that and be cooperative," Sullivan explained.