PITTSBURGH — The NFL Draft is just over two weeks away.
State police say they’re used to big events like the pope’s visit to Philadelphia a decade ago, or the Democratic National Convention just a year later.
Now, they say they are ready for the NFL Draft.
Trooper Rocco Gagliardi says the state police are pulling out all the stops for the NFL Draft, including drones, a helicopter, a boat team and the mounted unit.
“You’re going to see a full resource of state police,” said Pennsylvania State Trooper Rocco Gagliardi. “Whether that’s us in the skies, us on the ground, whether that’s horses, K9s, the whole allotment.”
With the war in Iran and a heightened sense of alert across the country, Gagliardi says state police have been planning and meeting with the NFL and other law enforcement agencies for more than a year. They have also been communicating with Green Bay, where the draft was last year.
“We had good relations working with them to see what worked here, what didn’t, so it’s been a continuation of years of planning for this on a more public safety level with ourselves, the city supervision,” Gagliardi said.
He says the event will be divided into two locations: the draft stage just outside Acrisure Stadium and the fan experience at Point State Park.
“Primarily, [we] and DCNR will be across the way at Point State Park for the fan experience, and the city of Pittsburgh will handle down here on the North Shore,” Gagliardi said.
While city police have struggled with manpower, the city council recently approved agreements with 18 other law enforcement agencies, including the feds and several local sheriff’s departments, to provide assistance. Those departments will also cover the costs.
Most will bring either a bomb-sniffing dog or an explosive ordnance expert. Sources say the NFL requested more of them than the city has.
Councilmember Anthony Coghill: Things of that nature that we don’t have an abundance but we will have an abundance for the draft.
Earle: And it’s critical for those to be here at this time, especially with what’s going on in the world.
Coghill: Absolutely, there’s going to be a lot of checkpoints
In addition to a number of roads that will be shut down, the three rivers will close to recreational boaters and the skies over the draft will also be off limits.Law enforcement will be on the lookout for drones.
Gagliardi says violators will be hit with heavy fines and penalties, and he has a message for visitors.
“You can come down here, have a great time and then leave. We don’t want any issues, any trouble, but we got to make sure public safety comes first and foremost,” Gagliardi said.
We asked for interviews with Pittsburgh Police, and they say they’ve had so many requests that they are planning a news conference later this week.
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