PITTSBURGH \u2014 It is a huge year for the city of Pittsburgh, and with that comes a required focus on safety and security.<\/p>\n
The NFL Draft is expected to be the largest event in the city\u2019s history, but the banner year begins this weekend with the big St. Patrick\u2019s Day parade, one of the oldest and largest in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fully comfortable and confident that we\u2019re ready,\u201d said newly confirmed Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams in a sit-down interview with Channel 11. \u201cWe\u2019re doing threat analysis all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams said his office is laser-focused on security ahead of the parade, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Marathon and Fourth of July celebrations for America\u2019s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Each of those events will bring large crowds. The stakes are high, and given the current climate, officials are on high alert.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some things that have recently happened that will make us think in some different ways,\u201d Williams said, acknowledging the impact of the war in Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing in your role, what conversations are you all having to make sure you\u2019re ready for any threats or any violence that unfortunately could come?\u201d asked Investigative Reporter Jatara McGee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rally quickly and start having discussions, and to your question, we always analyze these events and what are the ways that we have to properly staff and resource so that we can have a safe and uneventful, as much as we\u2019re able, type of event,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Williams said the O\u2019Connor administration is meeting daily and having ongoing conversations to make sure the city is prepared for the known and the unknown. Those preparations include preparing for possible disasters, natural or manmade.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have any specific intel driving decisions, but we do think holistically of what the potentials could be,\u201d he said. \u201cI think every city should be doing that, especially major cities. When you\u2019re hosting events like this, it\u2019s always part of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to the NFL Draft, Williams would not go into specifics about security but confirmed the city will use \u201clayers of physical security infrastructure\u201d to help keep crowds safe. That will likely include using vehicles or barriers to block pathways to pedestrians in the case of someone using a vehicle as a weapon.<\/p>\n
Williams said Pittsburgh will be ready. He credited the prior administration\u2019s detailed planning and the NFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NFL is very good at this. They do it every year, so it is a well-oiled machine, but they\u2019re drop setting that into Pittsburgh,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
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