While voicing confidence in San Francisco's police, Mayor Garvin Newsom pledged that the city has the ability to provide the level of security to make the Olympic torch relay "a safe event for everyone".
"I have absolute confidence in our police chief Heather Fong to ensure a proud and smooth torch relay" scheduled for April 9 in San Francisco, Newsom said in an interview with Xinhua.
The Police Department has direct experience in Olympic torch runs in San Francisco, Newsom said in remarks intended to alleviate worries about police's ability to provide enough security amid threats to disrupt the relay.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), along with the mayor's staff and some other departments, "has been working continuously with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure the safety of the Beijing torch run participants and the spectators," said the mayor.
He said the city's police "has extensive experience in monitoring and facilitating the hundreds of large public events that take place in San Francisco each year, and is confident that the department will provide the level of security to make this a safe event for everyone."
"In addition, the department is focusing not only on safety, but also on traffic concerns in the areas adjacent to the torch run route," he said.
SFPD Traffic Division personnel will be facilitating traffic in those areas that will be affected by the route, according to the mayor.
The mayor also brushed aside criticism for giving the green light to the Olympic torch relay, saying the city takes great pride in hosting the great event.
"The Olympic torch represents the journey for excellence, and we are honored to have the opportunity to host and contribute to the Beijing Olympic Journey of Harmony," Newsom said.
San Francisco will the be sixth leg of the Olympic torch relay when the torch is handed over to the city on April 9. Eighty torch bearers from across North America will carry the Beijing Olympic torch through San Francisco streets in a 6-mile route along the city's bay waterfront on April 9. The city is the torch's only stop in the continent as part of its worldwide relay, called "Journey of Harmony".
The Olympic torch has come through San Francisco as part of the Squaw Valley Games 1960, Los Angeles 1984, Atlanta 1996, Salt Lake City 2002, the mayor said.
"Here in San Francisco, we are on our own journey for a sustainable future," he said.
"This is our chance to showcase how local innovation and excellence - in fitness, environmental initiatives and sustainable business practices - can be examples for the world."