With a slew of events slated to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, including Sunday鈥檚 UFC cage match, a state fair and July Fourth festivities, District and federal law enforcement are bracing for what may be the busiest summertime ever in the nation鈥檚 capital.
Officials emphasize there are currently no credible threats against any of the scheduled events, but they will continue to monitor any evolving information.
鈥淲e expect there are going to be large crowds, but what exactly it looks like will depend on a lot of things,鈥� said Interim D.C. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll. 鈥淭he weather will play a role and the heat.鈥�
During a Wednesday news conference, Carroll spoke alongside officials from U.S. Park Police, Secret Service, various city agencies and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Road closures and parking restrictions took effect Thursday in anticipation of tens of thousands of people expected to crowd Downtown this weekend.
Carroll announced that D.C. police is on full activation.
鈥淲hat that means is all MPD officers are working 12-hour shifts to make sure we have adequate staffing across the District for these events and to be inside our patrol districts,鈥� Carroll said, adding officers are responsible for not just coverage of the many national events Downtown, but they must also continue to provide routine service in D.C. neighborhoods.
Carroll also said D.C. Fire & EMS and the Office of Unified Communications, which runs the call centers for 911 and 311, and are also beefing up staff.
鈥淲hen it comes to threats and response to threats, we have no lack of imagination of what might be coming at us,鈥� said Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service Washington Field Office Tara McCleese. 鈥淲e all talk almost every day, and anything that could be perceived as a threat is thoroughly investigated by our agency.鈥�
McCleese said federal and local law enforcement have a long-standing relationship and work together during large events.
鈥淥ne of the differences between this year and others is it鈥檚 the 250th, and so everything is bigger,鈥� said D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah. 鈥淲e expect hundreds of thousands of people. That鈥檚 typical in the District, and so we welcome that and are prepared for that and have been working with our partners because of that increased security posture.鈥�
Months of planning and preparation for the busy summer kicks off this weekend with the UFC Freedom 250 event on Sunday evening on the South Lawn of the White House.
Heightened security, along with road closures and parking restrictions, will be in place from Thursday through Monday, June 15. Metro Assistant General Manager Andy Off said the system would be open until 1 a.m. Sunday to accommodate riders.
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