Pasadena Police: 'Leave your drones at home and remain vigilant'

PASADENA (CNS/FOX 11) - Leave your drone at home and remain vigilant. That's the message issued today by Pasadena police and fire officials for anyone planning to attend the Rose Parade or Rose Bowl.

The recent mass shootings in San Bernardino and Paris will have law enforcement on heightened alert during the events that annually draw hundreds of thousands of spectators into the city.

"Recent events at home and abroad have put added attention on the safety efforts at the annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game," said Pasadena Assistant City Manager Steve Mermell.

"However, each and every year, the city of Pasadena, working closely with its partners the Tournament of Roses and federal, state and local law enforcement undertake significant efforts to ensure public safety," Mermell
said.

With about 700,000 people expected to line the streets of Pasadena for the New Year's Day Rose Parade, local and federal authorities said they will be out in force to keep an eye on the crowd and look out for suspicious activity.

"On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, federal personnel will be employing a variety of explosive-detection methods, as well as at key venues across the city from bomb-sniffing dogs to sophisticated devices that register
even minute amounts of radiation," said Mark Selby, deputy special agent in charge of the Department of Homeland Security in Los Angeles.

Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said attendees will be urged -- as they always are -- to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

"Our focus is a strong enforcement effort, and to help our (football) fans and our parade-goers to enjoy the parade," Sanchez said.

Sanchez said multi-agency "rapid response teams" will be deployed as part of the enforcement effort.

"Their specific mission will be to respond to an unusual occurrence," Sanchez said.

Other security personnel would be deployed as in past years to monitor the parade route, Sanchez said.

"But the rapid response teams, their specific mission will be to mitigate a threat or mitigate an incident as quickly as possible," Sanchez said.

Public safety officials said additional security cameras will also be in place, and they stressed that drones will be prohibited along the parade route and at the game.

Fire officials reminded people to dress warm, because overnight low temperatures are expected to be in the high 30s, and high temperatures were expected to be in the low 60s on the day of the parade and game.

A non-emergency hotline will be available for attendees at (626) 744-4241, while anyone spotting suspicious activity should call 911.

More information is available on the city of Pasadena's website,
www.cityofpasadena.net.

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