BOSTON — Sail Boston 2017 will see security precautions normally reserved for events such as the Super Bowl or a United Nations Assembly.
The event has been designated as a SEAR 1 event, meaning the city is required to coordinate support with the federal government.
In contrast, the Boston Marathon and Fourth of July parade are SEAR 2 events.
“At this point and time the FBI and our law enforcement partners at every level are unaware of any specific credible threats targeting this event,” said Harold Shaw, the head of the FBI’s Boston office at a recent press conference.
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It’s no surprise the city wants to take every precaution necessary after recent terror attacks in Manchester and London.
“We’ve seen the attacks in other cities around the world and we’ve taken a lot of the strategy they’ve used to hurt people and we’ve set up perimeters such as the trucks … We’re watching all of the vulnerabilities other places might have had,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
The 2,000-member Boston Police Department will be out in full force after the department cancelled previously scheduled time off.
David Choate, Sail Boston director of marine operations, said city police, fire officials, the city’s Office of Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, state police, Massport police, Transit police, the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI and the ATF will all be working on security for the event.
Over 2 million people are expected to attend the event which takes place June 17 – 22.
Sail Boston is the only American stop for the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta, a 7,000 nautical mile trans-Atlantic race involving dozens of tall ships that will visit six countries.
