Massachusetts officials join Boston Athletic Association discuss safety plans of 127th Boston Marathon
By WCVB Staff
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BOSTON (WCVB) — Massachusetts and Boston officials joined the Boston Athletic Association on Thursday to discuss safety surrounding the 127th Boston Marathon.
Thousands of participants are set to take part in Monday’s 26.2-mile race that starts in Hopkinton and passes through eight cities and towns before ending on Boylston Street in Boston.
Public safety officials highlighted the importance of planning, preparation and partnership to ensure public safety during the race.
Joseph Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division, said that the FBI is not aware of any specific or credible threats targeting this year’s race.
“We are asking you to remain vigilant because we all know how quickly the threat landscape can change. The greatest threat that we face are lone actors, who radicalize online and look to attack what they deem to be soft targets with easily accessible weapons and little to no warning,” Bonavolonta said.
Officials also spoke about plans to honor the victims and survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
Video Below: Boston Marathon security message: ‘See something, say something’
“This year’s 10-year anniversary — the marking of a decade since the horrific attacks — brings with it another set of emotions and reflections,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. “I want to thank everyone who has been involved in ensuring that we could plan and mark this occasion with the solemnity and respect in close coordination with the survivor community — the many, many families who have been impacted — with the spirit of looking to reflect on we all experienced and what families have forever been changed by.”
Acting Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Dawn Brantley highlighted a unified, comprehensive safety plan that is in place for the race.
“The commonwealth is incredibly fortunate to have federal, state and local partners, who have years of experience with the marathon and years of experience working together as a team to ensure the safety of competitors, spectators and volunteers,” Brantley said.
MEMA will deploy two mobile operations centers to Hopkinton and Brookline, and MEMA staff members will be deployed along the course.
“If you see someone or something suspicious, say something. It could be your neighbor, co-worker, classmate, somebody you see in person or virtually on social media. Tips from the community are essential because if we look at acts of mass violence, there’s almost always somebody after the fact who says they saw the person change, whether it be a parent, a classmate or a friend. When people speak up history has shown that we can prevent these tragedies from occurring,” Bonavolonta said.
More than 30,360 participants make up this year’s marathon field, according to Jack Fleming, the president and chief executive officer of the Boston Athletic Association.
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