Cities Boost Security for Fourth of July Celebrations

Cities Boost Security for Fourth of July Celebrations

In the wake of a foiled attack in Cleveland, police around the country are stepping up security for the Fourth.

On Monday, July 2, the FBI announced they had foiled a planned attack on pedestrians celebrating the Fourth of July in Cleveland, Ohio. This announcement, plus the news that AAA is estimating 46.9 million Americans will be traveling to enjoy the holiday, has pushed police departments to announce their plans of security at some of the major soft targets in the country during Independence Day.

Boston. The City of Boston Police Commissioner William Evans and Mayor Marty Walsh say their focus on the Fourth of July is to keep the tens of thousands of people who are expected to flock to the Esplanade of Hatch Shell on Wednesday safe. Commissioner Evans told local news reporters that the police department has been planning the security of the celebration for quite some time and are taking a "layered approach" to securing those at the event.

The city will be using large capacity vehicles to block crowds from potential vehicle attacks as well as limiting the amount of access points to the celebration so that people can be checked and scanned before they enter the event.

New York City. The NYPD has stressed that there are no credible threats to the city on the Fourth of July at this time, but that they will continue to be alert in securing the city for the Independence Day celebrations.

NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill said there would be extra security for the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks. That includes 6,000 officers on duty and 100 sand trucks and other "blocker" vehicles to reduce the threat of vehicle attacks.

NYPD will be deploying their bomb squad, long gun teams and dogs that are trained to sniff out threats.

The city is expecting to see close to two million spectators along the East River for the fireworks display. Traffic closures around the event will begin around 3 p.m.

 

 

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Maximizing Your Security Budget This Year

    Perimeter Security Standards for Multi-Site Businesses

    When you run or own a business that has multiple locations, it is important to set clear perimeter security standards. By doing this, it allows you to assess and mitigate any potential threats or risks at each site or location efficiently and effectively. Read Now

  • New Research Shows a Continuing Increase in Ransomware Victims

    GuidePoint Security recently announced the release of GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team’s (GRIT) Q1 2024 Ransomware Report. In addition to revealing a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, the GRIT Q1 2024 Ransomware Report observes major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups following law enforcement activity – including the continued targeting of previously “off-limits” organizations and industries, such as emergency hospitals. Read Now

  • OpenAI's GPT-4 Is Capable of Autonomously Exploiting Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

    According to a new study from four computer scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, OpenAI’s paid chatbot, GPT-4, is capable of autonomously exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities without any human assistance. Read Now

  • Getting in Someone’s Face

    There was a time, not so long ago, when the tradeshow industry must have thought COVID-19 might wipe out face-to-face meetings. It sure seemed that way about three years ago. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles. 3