12.27.18

MORE COPS, MORE COSTS,
LESS CRIME
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35
Besides Pasadena police and sheriff’s
deputies, security will also be provided by
the state in the form of California Highway
Patrol officers, and federal authorities, including
the Department of Homeland Security and the
US Secret Service.
Undercover law enforcement officers will also patrol the
parade route and the game. Local officials would not reveal how many agents
would be operating undercover.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will also impose a no-fly zone
over the parade and the Rose Bowl. Drones are also prohibited at the parade and
the game.
Besides the regular police presence, there will be a dozen so-called rapid
response teams at ground-level and air surveillance that can monitor the entire
parade route.
“Safety measures should be on everyone’s mind, even down to the smallest
detail such as removing valuables from plain sight in a vehicle, securing purses
to your body, parking in lighted areas, and being ever so aware of your surroundings,”
Clawson said. “During parade and game operations, robust security
measures will be in place to ensure safety of our visitors and participants alike.”
Over the past several years, law enforcement officials have been forced to be
ready to respond to terrorist attacks locally and internationally when planning
security for the parade. This year is no different.
In early December, four people were killed as the result of a shooting spree
in Strasbourg, France. Cherif Chekat, 29, the man believed responsible for the
shootings, was shot dead after police confronted him. The Strasbourg shooting
was the latest in a series of deadly attacks that have claimed more than 200 lives
in France since 2015.
In the 2018 parade, increased security focused on elevated areas along the
parade route in response to the shooting in Las Vegas during a music festival
which left 58 people dead and hundreds injured.
For the 2017 parade, officials put up barricades after the three suicide bombers
struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis during a soccer match.
That attack was followed by several mass shootings at cafés and restaurants and
a suicide bombing that left more than 100 people dead.
At the 2016 parade and football game, security was increased after the terror
attack in San Bernardino, when an ISIS sympathizer opened fire during a Christmas
Party, killing 14 people and wounding 22 others.
No known threats have been made against either the parade or the game,
authorities have said.
“People will come to Pasadena and be safe, but we also want them to feel safe
and enjoy all of the memories the city of Pasadena has to offer,” Clawson said.
As security increases to an all-time high, arrests made between noon on Dec.
31 and 6 p.m. New Year’s Day in Pasadena continue to decrease.
Three people were arrested along the parade route of the 2018 parade on
suspicion of public intoxication and one person was arrested for an
outstanding warrant for unlicensed driving.
Five people were arrested at the Rose Bowl game, three for
attempting to get out onto the playing field from the stands
and two for public intoxication.
For the 2017 parade and game, police arrested seven
people for public intoxication and trespassing. ■
36 PASADENA WEEKLY | 12.27.18