Police prepared for parade crowds, traffic

The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen INCIDENT COMMAND: The Hot Springs Police Department's mobile incident command center is parked Friday near the intersection of Broadway Street and Malvern Avenue in preparation for today's First Ever 15th Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade. While they have always had an incident command set up, this will be the first year the mobile vehicle will be used, Police Chief Jason Stachey said.
The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen INCIDENT COMMAND: The Hot Springs Police Department's mobile incident command center is parked Friday near the intersection of Broadway Street and Malvern Avenue in preparation for today's First Ever 15th Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade. While they have always had an incident command set up, this will be the first year the mobile vehicle will be used, Police Chief Jason Stachey said.

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The Sentinel-Record/Grace Brown GONE GREEN: The water in the Hill Wheatley Plaza fountain near the intersection of Central and Reserve avenues was dyed green earlier this week in time for the community's annual St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Today's combined events of Oaklawn's Rebel Stakes and the First Ever 15th Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade will be an "all hands on deck" affair, according to Hot Springs Police Chief Jason Stachey.

"This is truly one of the funnest events the city of Hot Springs hosts throughout the year, and we want everybody to have fun but most importantly to be safe," Stachey said Friday.

Beginning Friday, and continuing through today, city police are operating an incident command center near the parade site "which will incorporate assets from emergency medical services, the (Hot Springs) Fire Department and law enforcement," Stachey said.

"What's so important with our incident command is we have all our resources in one place readily available at a moment's notice to respond to any potential emergency that should arise. We don't anticipate any problems at all, but we will do our due diligence to protect all the parade-goers."

Stachey said he expected traffic to be relatively normal even as the attendees at Oaklawn leave there to make their way to the parade tonight. "We will be providing traffic assistance at Oaklawn as always and once the people start leaving Oaklawn, those assets will be deployed around the parade area," he said.

"The main thing is we want people to know we will have assets, both uniformed officers and some you won't see, but they will be there," he said.

"We urge people that as the crowds gather on Central Avenue and everyone is trying to find their place to watch the parade that they be diligent, be patient and be careful crossing the streets," Hot Springs police Capt. Walt Everton said.

"Motorists need to slow down and watch for pedestrians crossing the street," Stachey added. "Obviously, when you're talking about 30,000-plus individuals in a relatively small area next to a major thoroughfare, being Central Avenue, we urge motorists to just be cautious."

Everton cautioned parents to "hold onto your kids," noting, "You're going to have a large number of children there with their parents. Kids are short and they want to get up close to the front and parents just need to be watchful."

"Each year we always have a couple of kids that can't find their parents or parents who can't find their kids," Stachey said, noting parents should make sure their children have the basic information like their names and contact numbers.

"Parents need to tell their kids if they lose them, find a uniformed person. A police officer or firefighter or EMS and go to them for help," he said.

"It's real easy to get separated in a big crowd with people walking all around so you want to make sure to be extra diligent with your children," Everton said.

"Another major thing. As you're parking, find your spots early and make sure to lock your vehicles," Everton said. "Don't leave your windows open. Put your valuables in the trunk or at least out of view. With a crowd this size, someone may see all those cars as an opportunity and we don't want to see anyone be victimized."

Stachey noted people should even remember to remove their GPS units from the dash and "lock, lock, lock your doors. We can't emphasize that enough."

Everton also urged women with bags or purses to keep them close, preferably around their shoulder, and closed up.

"Be mindful of your own personal security and be able to protect your property," Stachey said. "These are just common sense principles we want to remind everyone about."

As far as the potential for terrorist-type attacks, which is a national concern anytime there is a large gathering, Stachey said, "We continue to monitor any intelligence reports and work with the Arkansas State Fusion Center and our federal partners. We haven't heard of any threats or rumors or intelligence of anything planned."

The Fusion Center at Arkansas State Police headquarters in southwest Little Rock is a hub for the collecting and sharing of information between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the CIA and FBI.

"We don't expect any problems, but we will have numerous available assets in place if any incident does happen. We are fully prepared for anything," Everton said.

"Some officers are visible, but we also have plainclothes officers who will be in the crowd, mingling to monitor any suspicious activity or reports of anything," Stachey said.

"We've been working with Steve Arrison and Visit Hot Springs as far as coordinating this event since last year. This is not something we start working on the week before," Stachey said. "It's something that really occurs throughout the year as far as preparation. A lot of planning goes into this event to make sure it is successful."

"Our goal is for people to come down and experience Hot Springs and the St. Patrick's parade and the whole atmosphere, but to stay safe and have the best time they can," Everton said.

Local on 03/17/2018

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