A.G. Gancarski
After a recent terror attack after a pop concert in England that took 19 lives and injured dozens more, security is bound to be stepped up throughout the western world.
Including in Jacksonville, where jazz fans should expect a little “vetting” from Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officers at the Jazz Festival this weekend.
“When we ask to stop you, wand you, check your bag,” said JSO’s Leonard Propper Wednesday at a press conference at Jacksonville’s City Hall, “there’s a reason for that.”
The Jazz Festival – an outdoor event sprawling over four evenings and three days starting on Thursday evening with a jazz piano competition and running through Sunday – is especially vulnerable to security holes, said Propper, as an “outdoor” event with “porous” boundaries.
“It’s going to be a wonderful experience,” Propper added. “There’s going to be a little bit of vetting going on. There’s going to be people watching, people in places observing, and every interaction that we have with somebody is based on a reason.”
“And that reason is – we engage in that consensual conversation … it’s for your safety,” Propper added, urging people to “report anything suspicious” or “creepy.”
Propper’s comments – with specific focus on security and the inevitability of police interaction – were the most unique portion of a promotional event at Jacksonville City Hall, that otherwise was not much dissimilar than other jazz festival pressers in recent years.
Mayor Lenny Curry discussed security in a gaggle, citing “public safety” as a “top priority” of his, noting the “regular communication” he has with Sheriff Mike Williams on “any events … downtown.”
Curry noted that people should not feel “concerned,” and should be ready to “come out and have a good time.”
Of course, a new amphitheater – Daily’s Place – is slated to open this weekend.
Curry said that Daily’s Place is on track to open this weekend, with inspections and all that expected to be completed on time for the scheduled open.
“Our public safety officials are ready,” Curry said, when asked about any potential security concerns in a post-Manchester world.
