San Francisco officials say safety is top priority during All-Star Weekend, Chinese New Year Parade
Flanked by the heads of every public safety department in San Francisco, Mayor Daniel Lurie on Thursday made it clear to residents that the city is prepared for an extremely busy weekend.
"Not only do we have the NBA All-Star game but we also have the Lunar New Year Parade," said Lurie.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on the city from across the world for both events. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said law enforcement officials have been working for months to ensure the safety of the public.
"Big events don't scare us, because we know what this city can do," explained Scott.
Thousands of police officers, firefighters and sheriff's deputies will be deployed across the city throughout the weekend. Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said his office is prepared for anything that might be thrown their way.
"Maintaining patrols, maintaining safe passage for people, making sure that we are answering calls for service," said Sheriff Miyamoto.
Law enforcement officials say there are no known credible threats as of Thursday, but that won't stop them from staying vigilant. Mayor Lurie said the city's hope is that they can focus on the security aspect so fans and visitors can just focus on having a good time.
"Let's have some fun this weekend," said Mayor Lurie. "The people behind me have been working hard to keep the residents and the visitors safe here in our great city and we get to welcome the world and let's show it off and let's have some fun this weekend."
Officials say one of the biggest issues they are expecting this weekend is traffic. They suggest everyone make a plan ahead of time to prepare for that.
They are also encouraging people to take public transit by making Muni service except for cable cars free all weekend long.
