Pittsburgh's parade to welcome home the Super Bowl champion Steelers went smoothly yesterday and cost the city much less than corralling rowdy fans after the team's big victory Sunday night, Public Safety Director Michael Huss said today.
It cost $79,500 to deploy 258 police officers and dispatch legions of Public Works crews to clean up after the parade attended by an estimated 350,000 people, Huss said.
As for Sunday night, 653 police patrolled party hot spots in Oakland, South Side, North Side and elsewhere at a cost to the city "approaching $500,000," he said.
Money to cover both events will come from a roughly $3 million annual state grant earmarked to cover "regional events," Huss said.
The Steelers did not contribute money to defray the costs.
"We're the region's leader, so we have to do these extra events, and these state funds, fortunately, are provided specifically for this," Huss said.
He said the city improved security measures based on what officials learned from the last Super Bowl victory parade in 2006. For example, public safety officials lengthened the route to provide more spots to view the parade and added barricades to control crowds.
There were no arrests and only a few minor medical emergencies including an asthma attack, a seizure and someone who fainted, Huss said.
"To get through that large of an event with an estimated 350,000 spectators without one single arrest is both a compliment to the people that participated and to the police officers that worked the detail," Huss said.
