On game day Sundays, tens of thousands of people access CenturyLink Field by walking along Occidental Avenue South.
That is why the Seattle Police Department now blocks access.
“Occidental is very pedestrian-heavy,” Assistant Chief Chris Fowler told KIRO 7 on Tuesday.
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“We found that, if we park buses at both ends of the street, that can mitigate or prevent an attack.”
Fowler, who’s responsible for the Police Department’s anti-terrorism efforts, said similar action is taken at Safeco Field and Key Arena during events.
Patrol cars were also added at the 2017 Torchlight Parade to prevent vehicles from getting close to spectators.
“We’ve been working with a lot of other federal agencies and a lot of other local facilities to examine and mitigate this kind of attack,” Fowler said.
Similar efforts were evident last year in Bellevue, where semi trucks and other large vehicles were parked to block access to the thousands of people who pack the streets for the nightly Snowflake Lane shows.
Bellevue Police Department Capt. Debbie Ingram told KIRO 7 at the time, “We’re going to have some hard barriers. We’re going to protect the crowd.”
Plans are also in the works to keep holiday revelers safe during the tree lighting and parade at Westlake Center the day after Thanksgiving.
“We know that Seattle police have a game plan,” James Sido, of the Downtown Seattle Association, said Tuesday.
“They’ve been meeting with us to discuss the holiday situation and we have every confidence that we’ll see a really cohesive and concerted effort,” Sido said of the Police Department's commitment to keeping thousands of people in the heart of downtown safe.
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