Police say SunFest can be safer with visitors’ help
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West Palm Beach, FL — Over 85,000 people will descend on downtown West Palm Beach for SunFest this weekend.
The three-day music festival is held along the waterfront.
While there is a lot of excitement around the major event, there are also safety concerns.
SunFest weekend is now just hours away. Friday thousands of people will be going through the main entrance at Clematis Street and Narcissus Avenue.
The West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) is warning festival-goers that criminals target events like this to pick pockets and steal cell phones and this year they need your help to stop them.
Last-minute preps are underway for the start of SunFest.
Friday thousands of people will flood the waterfront in West Palm Beach for the music festival.
Police say they are ready for the crowds.
They will be watching from the sky with drones and plain clothes officers will be on the ground.
“Obviously it’s gonna be a big crowd here but we want to make sure that it’s safe and we need your help to ensuring that it’s safe here for everyone that’s gonna be here,” said Frank Adderley, West Palm Beach Police Chief.
Police are encouraging SunFest goers to report anything suspicious using theSaferWatch app, which allows people to send police photos or videos along with their location where the crime is happening.
“If you see something that’s a little bit off you can snap a photo, you can snap a video and be able to send that in direct to local law enforcement and they’re gonna have a command post and be able to respond accordingly,” said Geno Roefaro, SaferWatch CEO.
It won’t just help law enforcement on the ground at SunFest but it’ll also be sent back to the police department.
Call takers at the WPBPD 911 Communication Center at the police station can see the photos or video in real-time and if necessary send a police officer to investigate.
“Having a photo of anybody that might be pickpocketing will help get the suspect a little bit quicker,” said Shannon Kennedy, West Palm Beach Police Telecommunicator Supervisor.
“We’ve all heard the saying if you see something, say something. This tool gives people the ability to actually say something and actually send something in,” Roefaro said.
The West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley says last year, a group of people from Miami came to SunFest to steal cell phones.
Police were able to catch them and they returned the stolen phones to their rightful owners.
