LOUISVILLE, Ky – Over 150,000 people will fill the Churchill Downs racetrack this Saturday for the 143rd Kentucky Derby.
With that large of a group of people comes equally large security risks. Churchill Downs says it will keep attendees safe by partnering with 34 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and public safety partners who will be onsite on race day.
Louisville Metro Emergency Service Officials also announced they are rolling out a new safety tool designed to provide additional security measures for the Kentucky Derby and surrounding events.
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LENSalert, Louisville’s emergency notification system, will allow people to text predetermined keywords to sign up for alerts at major derby events in the city.
The system will provide real-time alerts and notifications that will inform event attendees of severe weather, hazardous-material incidents and other emergencies, according to WLKY.
“Use of LENSAlert’s opt-in feature will be coordinated through the Incident Management System from the Emergency Operations Center and is meant to communicate emergency information only and will be the trusted source of information should a major incident occur,” says Jody Meiman, director, Emergency Services. “We expect a safe and secure Derby Week but based on events that are occurring around the world, we would be remiss if we did not use tools such as LENSAlert to assist in safely securing the public.”
Should a major incident arise, Emergency Services, the Kentucky Derby Festival and Louisville Metro Police Department will post a LENSAlert opt-in graphic on social media in order to direct inquiries to the LENSAlert opt-in feature.
Attendees can sign up for the alerts by sending a text to 67283 and using one of the keywords below:
Parade – For notifications at the Pegasus Parade
Festival – For notifications at any Kentucky Derby Festival event
Oaks – For notifications at the Kentucky Oaks
Derby – For notifications at the Kentucky Derby
DerbyWeek – To sign up for all of the above at once
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