Top Safety Officials Keep Close Eye On Mpls. During ASG
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Between the All-Star Game events and the thousands of spectators, it's a lot to monitor.
"It's a big operation," Minneapolis Police Commander Scott Gerlicher said.
The security command post for the All-Star Game, which kept at an undisclosed location, houses around 30 of the top city, state and federal law enforcement officials who are working together this week.
"[They're] all coming together to help coordinate security efforts for the All-Star Game," Cmdr. Gerlicher said. "We've been planning for the security for the All-Star game, All-Star week, basically since it was announced."
Inside the command post, agencies can get a bird's eye view of more than 200 cameras set up throughout downtown Minneapolis, as well as through mobile camera units. They can also coordinate with the hundreds of officers out in squad cars, on horses and on the ground with fans.
"A lot of them are from out of state and have never been here before so we're trying to be very helpful and help them out," Washington County Sheriff's Office Commander Cheri Dexter said.
"We've actually had some parents come up to us and just thank us for what we're doing," Washington County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Matt Wieland said. "Saying they've never felt safer."
The big operation will be the All-Star Game itself.
Security will be high as officials will be on the lookout for any suspicious activity, but the more basic task will be handling the crowds.
"There are a number of road closures for various events so we need to make sure that we're properly rerouting traffic to make sure traffic flows smoothly throughout the downtown area," Cmdr. Gerlicher said.
It's an all-star security team leading the operation to make sure the fans can soak up all that Minneapolis has to offer.
"We want a real high uniform presence in the downtown area to create a safe, welcoming image for downtown Minneapolis," Cmdr. Gerlicher said.