Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol Provides Security for Bonnaroo Music Festival

Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol Provides Security for Bonnaroo Music Festival

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Troopers and horses of the elite Texas-based Alpha & Omega (A&O) Mounted Security Patrol concert cavalry figure prominently into the success of the Bonnaroo Music & Camping Festival. The massive festival is scheduled for June 10 to 12 on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. These officers on horseback have gone through extensive training to ride in the security patrol for the nation's largest music and camping festival.

"Safety of the fans and the entertainers is the number one priority at Bonnaroo," said Frank Keller, founder and CEO of Alpha & Omega. "It is an honor to be working with the Bonnaroo organizers and other various security professionals to provide another great music and camping experience for the fans."

For the fourth year, Alpha & Omega will assemble the largest private cavalry ever gathered. Riders, both men and women, come from all walks of life. Many are ranchers and current or former police officers. Some are mayors and sheriffs. The A&O Troopers will accomplish the equivalent work of 1,000 foot patrol persons and, along with others in the comprehensive security force, will be charged with the safety of an estimated 100,000 concert-goers.

"Our Troopers are particularly good at interacting with the fans," Keller said. "Riders are trained in public relations as well as professional security measures; horses are selected and trained to handle crowds, rough terrain, helicopter noise and movement, fireworks and other sensory elements."

To complete their assignment, Alpha & Omega will transport 15,000 pounds of hay (one ton per day), 14,000 gallons of water, 52,500 pounds of grain and all the equipment needed to house riders and horses for seven days. Their Trooper movement rivals any road crew effort by a rock band. Troopers come from 11 states and collectively will travel 45,000 miles to reach their camp adjacent to the festival site. Visitors to the spot may think they have stumbled back in time to a Wild West campsite -- except this campsite is equipped with the latest technology and communications equipment.

Troopers are connected with Bonnaroo security and with each other by state-of-the-art radios. A command and control center is housed in the semi-trailer that doubles as transport for horses. A&O commanders work from an office in a specially-designed motor home equipped with computer, fax machine, and high speed Internet connection.

In their bright red shirts atop their horses, Troopers can be easily spotted by fans. Many followers of bands like Phish, Dave Matthews, and The Dead know the Troopers and their horses by name. Alpha & Omega has been part of the concert festival world since Woodstock '94. They were spotted by the manager of Pink Floyd at Woodstock '94, who recommended them to Phish band management. Troopers were invited to patrol Phish's Clifford Ball in 1996. Since then, Alpha & Omega Troopers have been a fixture at the nation's most popular music festival gatherings.

In addition to their presence at concerts, A&O Troopers can be seen throughout the nation at amphitheaters, shopping complexes, movie theaters, Business Improvement Districts and other places where large crowds gather.

Source: Alpha & Omega (A&O) Mounted Security Patrol

CONTACT: Linda Akins, Public Relations Officer of A&O, +1-312-953-7830

Web site: http://www.mountedpatrol.com/

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