Post-Vegas Shooting Security Concerns At Coachella Music Festival
EASTVALE (CBSLA) — Music lovers around Southern California are getting ready for Coachella. They say there's nothing like seeing your favorite artists in a festival setting.
"It's just being there, being around the people, the atmosphere, the energy from the music. It's fun," said David Ramirez.
But it's also a little scary thinking about what happened at the Route 91 Music Festival in Las Vegas just six months ago.
"Before it was a place to get away from distractions, to have freedoms, now you're kind of thinking what if I'm going to my final destination," said Gerson Lemus.
Coachella is the first major outdoor music festival since the Las Vegas massacre last October and security will be a top priority.
Police say attendees should not worry. 14 law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal level will be working together this weekend to keep all 125,000 people safe. They say they didn't make any changes just because of the Las Vegas shooting.
"We look at worldwide events and we evaluate risks," said Indio Police Chief Mike Washburn. "You know we don't have any high rises around there, which was really the issue."
But for the first time this year, they will be using drones to keep an eye on the far ends of the festival grounds and to monitor crowds.
"I think it will even help us more with traffic with the communities," said Jim Curtis from the City of Indio. "Why is it stuck, what's happening, what's going on in that spot, we can send the drone up in that spot."
Indio police officers also started carrying tourniquet kits which can be utilized if there is a shooting or any other kind of medical emergency.
Attendees will have to go through metal detectors and have their bags searched. Some people say that used to bother them, but now they say they understand the need for extra protection.
"It's always going to be irritating because you just want to go in and out, but at the end of the day, your safety is what you value the most," said Lemus. "You can never question safety."