Security Tight For Holiday Weekend At Panther Pavilion
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The inner tubes are piled high, river levels are back to normal and the stage is set for a return to business as usual this Fourth of July after two months of flooding.
"So, now with Fourth of July coming and all the events that are starting to happen down here at Panther Pavilion, there are going to be a lot of people here this weekend," said Shawn Cox, manager of Backwoods Paddlesports, which has had only nine days in the last two months where it was able to rent watercraft on the river.
In less than 48 hours, the parties begin. More than 70,000 people are expected at Panther Pavilion area over the course of four days. And police say they will have plenty of security to thwart any terror attacks.
"Some of that you may see some of that you might not see," said Cpl. Tracey Knight of the Fort Worth Police Department. "We'll have extra uniformed officers, not only directing traffic but in and around the crowds. We're also going to have plain clothes officers that you will not see. We'll have additional cameras out in the area keeping an eye on people and everything that's going on. We'll have K9, bomb sniffing dogs out there."
Cpl. Knight says the tightened security is normal for all big events in Fort Worth since the Boston Marathon Bombing. And this year they're reminding visitors they can help by reporting any suspicious activity.
"If you see anything you think is suspicious, then flag down an officer, call 911 if you have to because no officers are around," she said "But you know, that's our job to check things out and make sure everything is going to be great."
Traffic flow will be altered downtown as well. Cpl. Knight said its best to check the Fort Worth Police Department or City of Fort Worth webpages before venturing into the area.
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