Security personnel for the Rose Parade has the Las Vegas massacre at the forefront of its thoughts this year.
According to TMZ, law enforcement considers the 129th annual parade a national security matter and plans to have Pasadena police, as well as officers from surrounding departments, stationed along the entire parade route. Federal agents and state police will also be in attendance, insiders said.
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Along the routine, officers will be stationed on foot — both in uniform and undercover — and on horseback. Authorities will also be carrying a variety of equipment from weapons to magnetometers to detect strong magnetic activity.
The heavy police presence is not the result of any credible threat, law enforcement sources said, but officers will be prepared in the event of a security threat. Just as Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock gave no real warning of his rampage on a sea of concertgoers in October, cops are aware that an attack could spawn without majors signs or warnings.
Police will also set up barricades to prevent anyone from entering the parade route and causing harm during the event. They will close off the area 24 hours in advance to ensure a secure path on January 1.
The parade will begin at 8 a.m. PT on Monday with “a festival of flowers, music and sports unequaled anywhere else in the world.” It requires about 80,000 hours of work each year by 955 members of the non-profit Tournament of Roses Association.
The Rose Parade will be broadcast nationally by several networks ahead of the Rose Bowl Game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Georgia Bulldogs.
