It's a worrisome combination: Sunday night's mass shooting in Las Vegas, in which at least 59 people were killed and over 500 injured, comes at the same time as one of San Francisco's most event-filled weeks of the year. So according to a press release from the San Francisco Police Department, you can expect to see more cops on SF streets than ever, as all officers are expected to be on duty throughout the week's activities.
According to an alert sent to media, the SFPD says that "The Department has staffed up for this week's events with no discretionary time off allowed for SFPD officers."
As a result, "The public can expect to see a visible police presence including officers on foot, motorcycle, on horseback and in patrol cars at the various events around the City."
According to the SFPD, "District stations will be staffed and we will have additional
resources on hand for any spontaneous events."
Speaking with the Chron, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass technical director Sheri Sternberg says that they “are working closely with the city and county of San Francisco to make sure the most up-to-date protocols and procedures are in place.”
At Downtown's Oracle event, SFPD Spokesperson Officer Giselle Linnane tells CBS 5 that “In the wake of Las Vegas, it is something that we are prepared for."
“I can’t give you our tactics, but we are prepared for incidents like that,” Linnane told CBS 5. “We’ve had the incident [with the] active shooter at UPS. We have had other incidents, smaller ones, which we are prepared for and we trained for.”
"As the City begins a week of special events, we want to reassure the public that we are working with our local and federal partners to provide a safe environment for everyone."
That includes area hotels, Joe D’Alessandro of the Convention and Visitors Bureau tells CBS 5. “Whenever a situation like this occurs, the security in hotels and other places take extra guards to make sure that there are no copycats,” he says.
KRON 4 reports that BART is also in high gear, as "BART police are increasing their visibility at BART stations throughout the Bay Area."
However, the SFPD emphasizes that all this is a precaution, as they say "There are no known threats to the City or any special events." That said, "we remind everyone, “If you see something, say something.” Call 911 to report suspicious activity or crimes in progress."
