Detroit police examining Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade tragedy ahead of hosting NFL draft
(CBS DETROIT) - Less than 24 hours since the tragic ending of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, Detroit police say they are examining the incident to determine if they can refine their security to keep fans safe when the city hosts the 2024 NFL draft in 10 weeks.
"We look at everything from protests around the country to single actors and a number of other things. So we're going to do that. But we're not going to change our plan. We're not going to move from our strategy because we're just that confident with it," Detroit Police Chief James White said Thursday.
White spoke to reporters from the department's "Real Time Crime Center," which monitors hundreds of surveillance cameras from all over the city.
Those cameras are a single tool fans may notice during the three-day event.
There will also be gun-free zones: checkpoints with metal detectors similar to what Kansas City did when they hosted the NFL draft last year. Those checkpoints were not in place during the Chiefs' celebration on Wednesday.
"We've been planning for over two years; we've got a plan that is very locked and set," said Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership.
Besides the technology they're planning to use, Larson pointed out there are safety ambassadors that patrol the area around Campus Martius 24/7. We're told they're trained in de-escalation techniques if any fights were to break out.
Some of the security measures the public won't notice.
Plainclothes officers will blend in the crowds, keeping an eye on crime at the ground level, and from above, anticipate snipers on some rooftops.
Also, DPD coordinates with their state and federal law enforcement partners.
"We're going to do everything we possibly can to ensure a safe event. We don't make promises, but we're confident in the fact that we're going to be able to deliver that," White said.
Local fans think so, too.
"It's already policed like the suburbs, so they just keep doing what they're doing, and we'll be safe, and you know, some checkpoints that they have for the guns and stuff like that will be good," said Jamar Marshall, one of those fans.