Nassau County officials detail Cricket World Cup security plans after social media threat
LONG ISLAND - Nassau County police officials are reassuring the public that they are finalizing safety, security plans and monitoring potential threats ahead of the T20 Cricket World Cup.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the department is adding 100 officers to patrol the county.
Police say they are taking no chances and have been monitoring threats since April, including a recent post circulating on social media that references the stadium in Nassau County and the date June 9, when the India-Pakistan game is set to be played.
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Cricket thrives on Long Island, host of 1st T20 World Cup
A stadium boasting 34,000 seats and a precisely trimmed field of soft Kentucky bluegrass is rising in Eisenhower Park on Long Island that will host one of the world's top cricket tournaments next month -- the T20 World Cup.
"If I wasn't confident that we were safe, secure and health care measures were in place, I wouldn't do this," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
Officials say they are working with local state and federal agencies and plan to monitor areas around the stadium as well as potential soft targets.
"When you got a game and a crowd as big as this it's all credible," Ryder said. "We'll go through every fine detail. There will be no targets that will be left out there."
Tens of thousands of spectators will be in the stands starting the morning of Monday, June 3, when the first regular match gets underway.
The majority of fans will park at Nassau Coliseum and take a shuttle to the stadium. Everyone who enters must have tickets and go through a metal detector. No bags will be allowed inside. There will also be a no-fly zone around Eisenhower Park during the 12-day tournament.
"The park is completely closed from 6:30 in the morning until 6 at night," Ryder said.