NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The annual CMA fest gets underway on Thursday and along with thousands of revelers hundreds of police officers will be ready.
In just three days, more than 70 thousand people will fill lower Broadway and downtown Nashville for CMA fest. While this may seem like a security nightmare for metro police, it's actually just the opposite. They say the larger the crowd, the less crime they typically see, but that's not stopping them from taking a few extra precautions.
The commander of Central Precinct will be using extra funding to pay officers overtime to help patrol the crowds. Officials said they are focusing on what they call prime time, 6pm until the bars close at 2 in the morning. On any given night, more than 100 officers will have a strong presence in downtown, plus the additional CMA security hired by event coordinators.
Even with these extra precautions, officers said the number one problem this weekend will likely be theft: from purses, pockets and cars. And visitors are the only ones who can prevent themselves from becoming a victim.
"We come into town, we are so excited, we got big star eyes, can't wait to see my favorite country music artist and I forget to secure my radar detector, my iPad, my wallet, my wife's purse and then guess what? I come back and I've got a busted window," said Commander Jason Reinbold with Central Precinct.
The money to pay for the extra police presence downtown will come from discretionary funds and savings police found in their budget. Officials also want Metro residents to know, those officers will not be pulled from other normal duties in other areas they'll simply be working an extra few shifts this week.
