“There’s a lot of personnel out there that can easily get summoned to a call and get the call to us and we can get the right personnel out for it,” said Boerboom.
He said the city, county, and even state agencies all partner for months of planning ahead of the annual PGA Tour stop in the Twin Cities each July.
“It’s really satisfying. You put all this on paper, for months, and you see it unfold,” he said.
The command center is outfitted with communications equipment, real-time monitoring of movements and 911 calls, and personnel from SBM Fire Department, Allina Health, and the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office.
“Golf fans, typically, they’re having a good time, they’re out here, a lot of families are out here, so we’re not really concerned about any major issues within the field,” said Boerboom. “But, yeah, before they get here, we take a lot of precautions. Everybody’s wanded. Once they get here, it’s typically, it’s a fun atmosphere.”
He said the department is sensitive to the intrusion of sorts on homeowners in the area immediately surrounding the golf course.
“We’ve adjusted some of our plans this year for parking, no parking, sidewalks, road closures. We continue to evaluate every year,” he said. “So we do take peoples’ comments, we do evaluate them. Just know we have to shut down streets. We’re required to shut down streets, and we do it in the least obtrusive way that we can.”
As the tournament started Thursday, Boerboom and his fellow law enforcement and emergency responders expected the need for more supervision. With golfers starting before 7:00 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, it makes for long days.
“It’s seven days of sixteen-hour days, but when it’s all over with, you look back, it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “You look forward to next year.”
