LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Organizers for some of Louisville's biggest events have already been getting ready for festivities -- like the St. Patrick's Day parade and Derby events -- and safety is their top concern.
In one month, thousands of people will crowd along Baxter Avenue to cheer on what will be the 51st St. Patrick's Day Parade in Louisville.
Longtime parade coordinator John O'Dwyer has been thinking about what happened in Kansas City.
"First thing I thought about was 'pray for the victims,'" he said.
But he also wanted to assure Louisvillians that they will feel safe in the massive crowd.
"As far as our parade, I'm very confident in everything we do you, can't account for everything but we sure do try to account for it as best we can," O'Dwyer said.
He told WHAS11 85% of the parade's budget is spent on security alone. Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) and Jefferson County sheriffs assist with safety.
"We don't use an incident to make sure we're right; we make sure we're right before an incident happens," O'Dwyer said.
Even bigger than that, the Kentucky Derby Festival's events, including Thunder Over Louisville, usually draw over half a million people to the Waterfront.
Plus, the 150th Kentucky Derby this year could be an attendance record breaker.
Former LMPD commander and current St. Matthews Police Chief Barry Wilkerson has worked all of those Derby events.
He said St. Matthews is always ready to assist LMPD with security.
"We prepare for those; are you ever truly prepared for something that large scale?" Wilkerson asked. "I think we just do the best we can and make it as safe we can for the community."
He knows first hand how well the police department prepares for safety.
"We do a very good job; there's a lot of planning that goes into effect, even in my former job with Louisville Metro Police, I know of the steps they went through to make sure that the community is safe," said Wilkerson.
O'Dwyer said his team cares more about the people than the parade. He expects this year to be another great turnout.
"We've never had an issue; we want to plan and not have any issues and we don't expect issues because of what I said before, this is the people's parade, they come out and it's everybody together," he said.
In a statement, the Kentucky Derby Festival also listed how they use law enforcement:
The Kentucky Derby Festival’s mission is to bring the community together in celebration and that will continue to be our goal this spring. Safety is always the Festival’s top priority. We work closely with agencies at every level – local, state and federal – to develop and execute safety and security plans at our events. Those agencies include LMPD, Metro Safe, Louisville Metro EMS, Louisville Fire and Rescue, EMA, Homeland Security, Kentucky State Police and others. We’ll continue to work closely with these partners should we need to make any changes for the upcoming Festival.
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