Freedom Fair safety and security ideas

After we enjoyed this year's Freedom Fair (and fireworks) it apparently took a turn for the worse. We left around 5pm but some groups started causing some trouble as the evening went on. There was supposedly fighting, harassing, and even fireworks being thrown into crowds. No one was hurt but this obviously isn't a good thing to a largely family-friendly and fun event. The Tacoma Weekly has a good article about these concerns and what police might do in the future to keep things under control. From the article:

Dr. George Keogh had a booth for his business, Proctor Chiropractic, about halfway between the Ram and Lobster Shop restaurants. He said the atmosphere got ugly later in the day.
[...]
A New Jersey native, Keogh said he used to live in the Bronx and has been to many large festivals. He said he has not witnessed a situation get as out of hand as Freedom Fair.
"At this point, I would not bring my family down there," he commented.

There's no reason people shouldn't feel safe watching the fireworks and enjoying the ofter cooler temperatures that come with a summer evening. So, what could be done to keep things in better control during the Freedom Fair?

Here's my suggestions:
1) Mounted police -- it get's them above the crowd and provides a very visible presence
2) Flood lights -- crank up the brightness when it gets darker (from behind so folks can still enjoy the fireworks)
3) Temporary help beacons -- they have these on college campuses and could provide an easy way for a member of the public to signal when there's and emergency or trouble

What would you recommend to help keep Freedom Fair safe and fun?

Comments (6) | To Top

7/13/2006 @ 7:50am

I've always considered mounted police a good way of controlling the crowds. It works in other places plus I'm sure the police would welcome the chance to ride and train some of these beautiful animals. I don't mind stepping around a few horse piles for the added feeling of safety. Also an ordinance needs to be passed that the moment you’re caught causing trouble you need to be taken away from the scene. Like they do in New Orleans. Tacoman’s need to curd mischievous behavior before it ever starts. Show the punks that this will not be tolerated at the freedom fair.

by Steve

7/13/2006 @ 7:29pm

Mounted police does not necessarily mean horses. In Juneau they were experimenting with puting cops on segways. They had plenty of cops on bikes, but they looked like weenies and were all out of breath when getting to an emergency. Stay home and watch it on tv I say.

by Richard Ryan Anderson

7/13/2006 @ 7:44pm

Mounted police are used in the East coast cities to dispel crowds. The horses are trained to act like they are out of control and who wants to be stepped on by a six foot tall at the shoulder horse with steel shoes. They do not fear fire arms or fireworks. Yet they are very gentle. The mounted patrol officers are specially trained also and never work alone. There are foot officers also. They can run down and corner a vandal and scare the hell out of them at the same time.

by Momquote

7/13/2006 @ 7:47pm

Plus, the key in my idea is "above the crowd". A segway might be cool but it keeps things a little too low. A cop can spot trouble easier if he's up a bit higher.

Anyone have any other recommendations? How would you keep an event like this safe?

by KevinFreitas

7/14/2006 @ 12:12pm

Well, what do we do down here in the Couve on the 4th? I've never felt unsafe going down to the fort, and there are quite a few people down there. Maybe Tacoma could copy what our little city does every year...

by Britta

7/15/2006 @ 9:19am

I'm not so sure, Britta but I know the topography of the Vancouver 4th being situation on a hill prevents the need for mounted police because they can get above things by just walking up hill a bit. The Ruston Way waterfront is completely flat and makes it difficult to see, in a crowd, more than 50 yards ahead of you. Plus, just the presence of such animals has a calming effect and also gives the officers a way to connect with the crowd since everyone loves horseys!

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