Police Chief James White says city to have gun-free zones, undercover officers for event
The shooting that occurred at the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory rally near Union Station on Wednesday has prompted a city farther north to address safety concerns ahead of its own major NFL event.
Detroit hosts the 2024 NFL Draft in late April, and the downtown area will see gun-free zones, Police Chief James White said via Fox 2 Detroit.
This announcement from the police chief comes after one person died and 22 others were injured, including 11 children, following a dispute in Kansas City at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade.
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Detroit is planning to boost security measures ahead of the NFL Draft in April. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images/File)
To ease the minds of NFL fans across the country that are thinking of attending the outdoors festivities for the annual draft, gun-free zones will be found in and around the Campus Martius area where the event is to held.
And there will also be security measures the public won’t notice, as undercover officers and a Detroit police real-time crime center will be set up.
"It’s an intelligence unit with intelligent people that know exactly what they’re doing," White said, via Fox 2 Detroit.
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Detroit is estimating 300,000 people will visit the Motor City for the event, the biggest the NFL has to offer after the Super Bowl. The draft lasts three days, with the most-anticipated first round coming on Thursday, April 25.
White says Detroit is prepared for this influx of people.
"We've hosted everything from Taylor Swift to Beyoncé. The Lions this year did their thing very well, they brought about 70,000 fans every week that they had a home game to our city," he said.
White said Detroit police will have help from Michigan State Police, the FBI, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF. Police dogs and aerial units will also assist.
Police Chief James White says Detroit can handle the expected arrival of 300,000 people for the NFL Draft in April. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images/File)
Still, with 600 law enforcement officers at the deadly Kansas City parade on Wednesday, some might be skeptical that such a situation can’t unfold in Detroit.
But White said he hopes the Detroit community continues to do what they’ve always done: prepare to the best of their abilities to ensure the safety of everyone in the city.
"Our community have shown us whether through the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the fireworks or the Grand Prix, that they prepare for events of this scale," White said. "We've been able to police them, we've been able to deliver very safe events without incident, all while reducing crime in our amazing community."
Doctors at University Health in Kansas City said five of its eight gunshot victims were discharged Wednesday night as three remained in the hospital. Two of the victims are in critical condition, though they were said to be improving.
Detroit is hosting this year's NFL Draft. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images/File)
Multiple suspects have been detained, two of which were juveniles, but no one has been charged.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price, Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Joe Morgan contributed to this report.
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
