Security Tightened For DD in Wake of Boston Bombing

Mounted Oxford police officers on patrol in downtown Oxford, Mississippi / Photo Courtesy of Oxford Police Dept.

By Jared Senseman, junior journalism major, Meek School of Journalism and New Media

jrsensem@go.olemiss.edu

The Oxford Police Department will be increasing security for the city’s 18th annual Double Decker Arts Festival in light of the recent bombings in Boston, sources say.

In an interview with Oxford Chief of Police Joey East, he stated that while details on the new safety implementations can’t be discussed for security reasons, the city has no reason to worry.

“The Oxford Police Department, along with local, regional and federal law enforcement agencies, are putting extra safety precautions in place for the Double Decker activities,” Joey said. “These precautions should not interfere with any of the Double Decker events.”

Law enforcement agencies around the country have been beefing up security after two bombings occurred at the 2013 Boston marathon on Monday. The two bombings killed three people and injured 176.

While the University Police Department doesn’t have any involvement with Double Decker, they did state that they are prepared if anything similar to the Boston attacks were to happen on campus.

“We work closely with Oxford Police Department on a lot of events in the area but have never been involved with Double Decker, other than we help with any runs or walks that may be associated with Double Decker if they come onto campus,” Chief of University Police Calvin Sellers said.

When asked if the University was prepared for an incident similar to the Boston bombings, Sellers replied, “The University has agreements in place with numerous other agencies to assist if we should have something of that nature. We have trained our personnel on dealing with bombings, bomb threats, and many other types of emergencies.”

Oxford Chief of Police Joey East believes that locals can rest assured that their safety is of the utmost importance.

“The public should feel comfortable knowing that their safety is, as always, our number one priority,” he said.