The Park City Police Department relies on 36 full-time officers to patrol a town of roughly 8,000 residents, during normal operations.
Major events like the Sundance Film Festival require more help.
Around 100,000 people are expected to visit Park City for the two-week festival from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2.
Park City Police Capt. Rob McKinney said the department relies on more than 100 contracted officers throughout the state to assist during special events.
“We have to police it like it’s a town of 50,000+ because of some of these events and the visitors that come in for them,” McKinney said. “We believe in a highly-visible uniformed presence during these special events. We know that is a deterrent based on experience.”
McKinney said bollards and other barricades are placed around Main Street to prevent vehicle attacks like the one in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that killed more than a dozen people.
He said he cannot disclose specifics about precautions for safety reasons. However, in general, department operations include drone surveillance, optimizing traffic flow in Old Town and having tactical teams on standby.
The police department also works with the Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC) to stay up to date on any public safety threats.
Most importantly, McKinney said Park City Police officers stay in close contact with residents, business owners and visitors.
“We really believe in community-based policing and that means having relationships with key stakeholders in the community,” he said. “Nobody knows the community more than those who live in it, work in it on a day-to-day basis.”
Summit County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Kacey Bates emphasized the public plays a critical part in keeping everyone safe.
“In light of what happened in New Orleans, the sheriff wanted us to extend that if you see something, say something,” Bates said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Jan. 6. “If anything is on social media, if anybody hears anything, we would love that phone call. We would rather have somebody call in than think that somebody else is going to call in. We would rather have 10 calls than zero calls.”
Park City Police ask the public to report any suspicious activity to the local dispatch line at 435-615-5500.
