PHOENIX — With thousands of people heading to downtown Phoenix for the World Series Games 3, 4 and 5, law enforcement is on high alert.
With an increase in traffic, many will also see an increase in law enforcement.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said they’ve been in touch with the federal government as Phoenix hosts games 3, 4, and 5.
“The Biden administration has been in touch and they want to support us, making sure this is extremely safe and successful,” Gallego said.
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone says they’ve increased staff “considerably.” He says they’ve upped physical resources, as in people, as well as have intelligence behind the scenes, technology, and K-9s working. MCSO is also working with state partners such as the Department of Public Safety, local agencies like Phoenix Police Department and federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
“It's a big stadium, a lot of layers, so we're going to have deputies throughout the entire stadium. Some in uniform, some in plain clothes and their job is to just keep an eye on everything while you're keeping an eye on the ballgame,” Penzone said.
Phoenix police officials say this big event is not their first rodeo. While they had a much longer time frame to plan for the Super Bowl, Phoenix Police Sgt. Robert Scherer said downtown is no stranger to big events that go on at the same time.
In some cases, there have been times when a Suns game, concert and Diamondbacks game went on simultaneously.
“We have the plans set in place, we have the puzzles that are already addressed. We know what kind of elements we're going to place here and deploy here and it’s a model that works and we're excited to be able to do it again. It's exciting to be able to do it during a World Series,” Scherer said.
