This weekend, The Double Decker Arts Festival will bring more than 60,000 people to the city of Oxford along with a multitude of safety concerns. The Oxford Police Department believes they have the security for this 20th annual festival down to a science.
Major Jeff McCutchen, head of operations, has worked almost ten years of Double Decker weekends. He understands the community’s concerns and plans for a successful and safe weekend.
“We are going to have anywhere from 20 to 50 officers just on the Square,” McCutchen said. “If you are not scheduled to work on patrol, you will be stationed around the Square. We will have the reserve, off duty, and the Oxford Mounted patrol all working together this weekend.”
McCutcheon said the police will have radios that connect with Cobra Security to keep in contact throughout the event.
“The key for us is to try to spread the net wide,” McCutchen said. “We will be coordinating with Cobra on the outer part of the Square with boundaries and road blocks.”
Vice president of operations for Cobra Security Lisa Mills said they will have about 70 officers on duty downtown and about 200 in total for the whole weekend. The downtown guards will be stationed at all of the entrances to the Square and will also be providing stage security for the live music.
“If anyone needs assistance, all of our guards will have maps,” Mills said. “They will be available and prepared to help vendors know what entrance to use. We will not be allowing coolers or vehicles into the Square, and Oxford police will be enforcing that.”
With a festival as large as this one, McCutchen said the key to success is figuring out what works each year.
“After the event we debrief with everyone involved,” McCutchen said. “We always try to see what we might have missed and what we can do better for the next year.”
The police have been posting festival parking reminders all week via their social media accounts. Today, North Lamar Boulevard and Monroe Avenue will be closed starting at 4 a.m.
On Saturday, all streets will be closed beginning at 4 a.m. Any cars left on the Square, North Lamar Boulevard, South Lamar Boulevard, Van Buren Avenue, Jackson Avenue East, or in city lots will be towed at the owner’s expense.
