Boston Marathon 2014: Officials Double Security Presence For This Year's Race

Boston Marathon organizers are bulking up on security and police presence for this year's race, the Associated Press reported.

Law enforcement officials announced on Monday that at least 3,500 public safety officials will stand watch over the 2014 marathon - that's more than double the number of cops at last year's race, when two bombs that detonated by the finish line killed three and injured at least 260 others.

Authorities announced that the raised security measures were just one part of a sweeping plan to tighten up on surveillance while simultaneously maintaining the traditional feel of the event, according to AP.

"We are confident that the overall experience of runners and spectators will not be impacted and that all will enjoy a fun, festive and family-oriented day," director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Kurt Schwartz told the news agency.

Under the new guidelines, attendees watching from the wings are encouraged to leave large bags, backpacks, coolers and other large packages at home. Authorities request that people carry their belongings in clear plastic bags, and people who do have larger knapsacks will be searched. Spectators also cannot bring more than a liter of liquid during the race, nor are they allowed to conceal their faces beneath large costumes.

"Bandits," or unregistered racers, won't be allowed to compete this year. According to the Associated Press, marathon officials are expecting a huge turnout.

"This course is at capacity this year, and it's just common sense" for bandits to stay on the sidelines, Schwartz told AP.

Police believe two brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, set the bomb near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, leading to the deaths of three people and wounding more than 260 other spectators and participants. But FBI assistant special agent Kiernan Ramsey said his team doesn't have "specific intelligence indicating there is a threat to this year's marathon."

"At this point, we don't have one, nor do we anticipate it," Ramsey told AP.