‘We take the necessary precautions.’ Asbury Park police to keep watch over Sea.Hear.Now festival
With recent violence making national headlines, police want concertgoers to feel secure while enjoying the festivities.
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Each year when the Sea.Hear.Now festival rolls into Asbury Park, a massive effort gets underway to keep everyone safe.
With recent violence making national headlines, police want concertgoers to feel secure while enjoying the festivities.
“People just seem to be chill, relaxed, enjoying the music,” said Asbury Park native Marlie Laken, who will attend her third Sea.Hear.Now.
For a first timer who may be concerned about safety, Laken would “tell them don’t worry about it. Like you said, security is very good. There’s never been any issues.”
Sgt. Michael Casey and the Asbury Park police are taking the lead on securing the massive venue, with lots of help.
“This is our seventh year we’ve been doing this, and each year we take the necessary precautions to ensure everyone’s safety,” said Casey. “It’s a multi-agency collaboration with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey State Police, as well as the Asbury Park Police Department.”
To keep everyone flowing through the metal detectors and security checkpoints, organizers and police suggest knowing what you can and can’t bring into the festival, which is all clearly written on the Sea Hear Now website.
What items are allowed & prohibited at Sea.Hear.Now? Guests and their belongings are subject to search upon entry or re-entry. You can help keep the lines moving quickly by leaving large bags at home. The following items are ALLOWED: CLEAR bags ma... support.seahearnowfestival.com |
“Danny Clinch runs a fantastic festival. If there was a problem last year with something, they take it into account and fix it for this year,” added Laken.
With crowds of 35,000 expected on both days, Casey says guests will see plenty of uniformed officers throughout the premises.
“Just because you don’t see somebody doesn’t mean that we’re not there,” he said.
Casey says if anyone sees something that seems a bit odd or out of place, don’t hesitate to talk to a security guard or a police officer.
