Security at the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday will be tight, but Boston police commissioner William B. Evans believes spectators still will feel comfortable.
“We want this to be the great race that this always has been,” Evans said Wednesday, as reported by ESPN Boston. “We’re not going to scare people and make it look like it’s an army camp. We have plenty of cameras, we have plenty of assets, and I’m very confident in our officers. You’ve seen the great job they did last year, and they’re going to do a great job again this year making that race the jewel that it’s always been as the best marathon in the world.”
The turnout for this year’s marathon is expected to be larger than ever, with more than 36,000 runners and more than 1 million spectators projected to attend. To patrol that crowd, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency coordinated at least 3,500 officers from the state police and representing communities with assistance from federal agencies and the National Guard.
Race director Dave McGillivray also doesn’t have any doubts about the crowd’s safety on race day.
“I believe this will be the safest place on the planet on April 21,” McGillivray said.
Spectators should expect a few precautions that law enforcement are taking this year. Plainclothes officers will be among the crowd, along with credentialed officers, and anyone in the Boylston Street area will be subject to random searches, including employees of area businesses. Officials also may ask spectators to move out of high-traffic areas if they believe the size of the crowd is creating a problem.
Spectators also should check out the Boston Athletic Association website to make sure that any items they bring comply with marathon security.
Photo via Twitter/@NickDeLuca1
