ACL Fest 2017: Security increased in light of Las Vegas shooting

The Austin Police Department will add officers to security at and around the ACL Festival this weekend, local NBC affiliate KXAN reported Thursday; Texas Department of Public Safety troopers will also join APD officers to help with festival security for the first time, according to the report.

Austin Chief of Police Brian Manley told KXAN that the department revised security plans after Sunday’s shootings in Las Vegas, when at 59 people were killed and more than 500 others injured after a gunman opened fire on a country music festival.

The KXAN story related that law enforcement agencies are necessarily short on divulging details, but the Las Vegas event caused them to put higher scrutiny on areas that on higher ground around the fest. Security had already been heightened due to the addition of a third entrance and an additional stage this year, according to the story.

An earlier KXAN story reported that local law enforcement will also “be receiving help from federal agencies,” and Thursday’s story adds that a private security company is contracted to run “airport style” security at entrances.

The festival will be following what is already standard for many large events in the city, in that bags brought into the festival must now be no larger than 10 by 10 inches. The ACL site has a full list of prohibited items.

• More officers, bag restrictions in place for this year’s ACL [KXAN]

• Las Vegas shooting updates [Los Angeles Times]

• APD reviewing security plans after Las Vegas shooting [KXAN]