LAPD beefing up security for Michael Jackson memorial, encouraging fans to stay home

July 6, 2:20 PMLA Celebrity Headlines ExaminerTiffany Warner

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Staples Center

With less than 24 hours before Michael Jackson's memorial service is set to take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles, LAPD is adamantly encouraging mourning fans to stay home and watch the service on television -if you don't have a ticket.

Downtown L.A. will reportedly "shut down" on Tuesday, July 7 due to the massive amounts of ticket holders (17,500) and credentialed press, along with the hundreds of thousands of non-ticket holders expected to join the event outside.

"We have reached out a number of times, every chance we get, actually, asking people to stay home if they don’t have tickets enjoy it from the comfort of their own home with friends rather than coming out standing out in hot sun on the city street two or three blocks from the venue," said Jim McDonnell, first assistant chief of LAPD, to CNN.

Given the potential amount of mourners, many question why Staples Center was selected as the location for the memorial service - only housing 20,000- rather than one of many larger venues available in Los Angeles.

McDonnell explained, "I think the venue itself lends itself to being able to put on an event like this....They are older venues; they’re not wired the same. It would take a tremendous amount of work in a very short period of time to be able to get them up to speed to be able to do what will be done with things that already in place at the Staples Center."

Also Los Angeles' $530 million deficit raises concerns as to how the city is going to foot the bill for this massive event.

McDonnell assures, "Certainly the cost weighs heavily on all of us. We’re well aware how expensive it is to police one of these events. The only thing that comes to mind is how expensive it is if you don’t do it right. We have every intention to go out there and deploy heavily, deploy appropriately to be able to deal with any eventuality. However, we will try to demobilize as quickly as we can given the circumstances. If the crowds are less than we anticipated, we’ll be able to break off some of those officers deployed, put them around the city or if they’re on overtime, to be able to send them home. That’s something we deal with all the time. We’re very watchful of the bottom line."

To date, Mariah Carey and Oscar-award winner Jennifer Hudson are scheduled to perform at the services.

All major networks and cable outlets will reportedly televise the memorial service beginning at 1.p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT.

If you don't have a ticket, are you going to heed the advice of the LAPD or head down to Staples Center anyway to participate in the memorial services? Please leave a comment below.

Michael Joseph Jackson

1958 - 2009