Police chief says security will be priority during Ultra Music Festival

Miami police will have officers working security by ground, air, water

MIAMI – As the stages for Ultra Music Festival were being constructed at Bayfront Park, Miami's police chief said Wednesday he is focused on security at and surrounding the event.

"We have a lot of police officers that are working," Chief Jorge Colina said during a news conference. "We have plain-clothed officers. We have marine patrol in the water, officers on the ground, aviation units."

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Counter-sniper intelligence will also be positioned around the festival's grounds.

Colina said with the recent tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year, officers will be positioned on elevated observation points so that every vantage point of the festival is in the line of sight of law enforcement.

"Officers are able to look down and see what's happening, and if something occurs we are able to react sooner," Colina said.

Part of the plan for a faster response, Colina said, is a contact person the Miami Police Department has at the front office of every downtown building in the area. But he wants festivalgoers to know that they need to remain vigilant as well.

"If you see a person checking in with 10 bags, that's peculiar," Colina said. "Let us know."

Surveillance of the 20th annual event will include cameras along Biscayne Boulevard. Colina said officers will also have access to cameras inside Ultra.

"If you're a bad person and you want to harm someone ... this is not the place for you," Colina said.

The three-day music festival begins Friday.


About the Author:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School, Homestead Senior High School and graduated from St. Thomas University.