Speedway Safety Plan

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO) — With the Indy 500 just days away, public safety leaders say they are focused on preparation, awareness, and keeping operations steady as large crowds gather at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Tanya Terry said officers are trained to watch for anything that looks out of place in big crowds, including unattended items or unusual behavior.

She pointed to objects left in public spaces as one example of something that could raise concern.

“It’s something that’s been left abandoned in an odd place and nobody’s come or gone or interacted with that particular maybe it’s a cooler, maybe it’s a backpack,” Terry said. “Usually people don’t leave their valuables unattended for long periods of time, or if you see somebody that just like put something down and quickly tries to run away from the scene, that might be something that’s not right. It doesn’t look right. If that’s the case, we’re happy to follow up and check it out.”

Terry said there are no known local threats ahead of race weekend, but agencies continue to stay in close contact with state and federal partners.

“We’re always monitoring local and national and global threats and we have a great team assembled,” she said. “They’re always aware of that. But currently we have no local threats, but we are always on awareness for that.”

Medical coverage will expand across the speedway and the city throughout the weekend, according to Dr. Dan O’Donnell.

He said staffing plans are set to keep emergency response levels steady even as demand increases during race events.

“We’ll be providing coverage not only in and around Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but also maintaining coverage of the city of Indianapolis throughout the entire weekend as we always do,” O’Donnell said.

Police will have 911 and special event coverage starting Saturday at the Brickyard, then move to the camping lots Saturday night, and continue through Sunday’s events.

“At the same time, we’ll ensure our staffing is maintained so that we are providing the same level of 911 service throughout the city that we do each and every day,” he added.

The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, Indiana State Police, Speedway Police, and other agencies are working with IMPD to secure the biggest sporting event of the year in Indianapolis.

The post Speedway Safety Plan appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM.