AUSTIN, Texas — Hundreds of thousands of people will be pouring into Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and law enforcement officials want to ensure safety is a top priority for both weekends.
Last year, retired Austin police officers were sworn in to make up the department's first special reserve unit to help take on special events. The goal is to provide extra support and not pull away officers from duties outside of the festival.
"We have a separate set of officers that work specifically for the festival, that deal with the patrons inside and, again, help provide that safe environment for them," said Lt. J.J. Schmidt.
He added, "[It] keeps us to allow other officers to stay on the street, respond to the calls, while at the same time providing that staffing, hearing and value to the public that we cannot strain our resources as much."
Schmidt said it's a partnership among the Austin Fire Department, EMS and other public safety partners.
Some tips the lieutenant shared while at the festival was to:
- Make sure belongings are zipped and secured
- Keep your ID and credit cards separate from your phone
- Don't keep phones in the back pockets
- Stay hydrated
Schmidt also recommended to have the serial number for your valuables handy somewhere in order to be able to retrieve it if anything is lost or stolen.
If someone sees something suspicious, make sure to report it to police.
"Don't take anything for granted. Report that to us so that we can look into it, make sure that everybody has a safe and fun weekend," said Schmidt.