Massive Security Presence In Place For Governors Ball Music Festival
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Terror scares like the one in Germany, and attacks like the one that took place in Manchester have security officials on high alert heading into summer concert season.
A sold out show on Randall's Island this weekend will put New York's security to the test.
More than 100,000 fans are expected for a three day music festival. While fans watch Chance the Rapper, Lorde, and more, there will be 150 uniformed officers, and 500 private security personnel watching over them.
Young people will be gathered in their coolest summer clothes to enjoy the blasting and thumping music while an army of very over-dressed, layered, and armed officers keep watch.
"I think they should take every kind of security measure that they can," Joe Laresca said.
Hours before the Governors Ball started, festival-goers lined up on Lexington Ave in East Harlem, waiting for shuttle buses to take them to Randall's Island.
The venue was empty of music lovers, but already jammed with law-enforcement.
Security is a chief concern for everyone involved.
"My mom almost didn't let me go," one young woman said, "But I think it's fine though."
The young crowd means plenty of concerned parents.
"It is a very young crowd, as you can see. The parents can rest assured, we have sufficient coverage, We will take good care of the kids, like I said we have over 140 police officers working over the entire weekend. We have plain clothes officer working," NYPD Deputy Inspector Kathleen Walsh told CBS2's Dave Carlin.
Governors Ball co-founder Tom Russel said the attack in Manchester factored into the security plan for this year's event.
"What that caused us to do was really re-review everything, and have more conversations about it all. We've been working with these agencies for 6 years now at Randall's," he said. "And I am absolutely confident in the safety and security of our event."
