Authorities speak on security plan ahead of Raleigh Christmas Parade
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- We're expecting as many as 65,000 people in downtown Raleigh Saturday morning for the ABC11/LeithCars.com Raleigh Christmas Parade presented by Shop Local Raleigh and we've learned security will be tight in the wake of recent violence across the country.
Police presence will be amplified for the event.
ABC11 is being told officers will be stationed all along the route; they will be helping with traffic and crowd control; however, the department would not get into specifics on their security plan.
"While the best interests of public safety dictate that the Raleigh Police Department must refrain from commenting on its security plans, I can say the department always takes all the available intelligence and information into consideration as it formulates its strategies for security measures and operational decisions," said police spokesperson Laura Hourigan. "That holds true for the upcoming event, just as it does on other occasions."
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Police will have some added help.
The Raleigh Ambassador Program, which partners the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, is putting more security officers on the streets. They will also be scanning the crowd for suspicious activity.
"We act as the extra eyes and ears for both the city and the police department," said program manager John Botner. "Any unusual events, we'll contact the appropriate city police agencies."
Those ambassadors are also available to help folks who might get lost or forgot they parked.
The parade kicks off at 10:00 a.m.
It begins on Hillsborough Street turning onto Salisbury Street before marching down Fayetteville Street.
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