St.Patrick’s Day Parade Advisory From Worcester Police
Saturday, March 07, 2015
The parade route and race stretch just over two miles on Park Avenue. WPD are asking motorists to avoid the Park Avenue area between 10 AM and 3 PM.
The police department will also be targeting individuals drinking alchohol from open containers in public and looking out for underage drinking.
Here is the traffic advisory and police preparations from the Worcester Police Department:
The race will start at 11:00 a.m. at Elm Park and will be an “out and back” loop of the parade route which takes place on Park Avenue (from Elm Street to Webster Square). Along this route, Elm Street to Highland Street will be closed beginning at 7:00 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. all side streets along the route from Elm Street to Webster Square will be closed.
The parade begins at noon. The roads will slowly begin to reopen from Webster Square back to Elm Park between 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
The Worcester Police Department is making several preparations for this event to ensure that spectators have a safe and enjoyable time.
Undercover and uniformed police officers will be positioned along the parade route and in the most populated areas focusing on the crowds that are expected to line the street. Officers will be on the lookout for people possessing open containers or drinking alcoholic beverages in public along with targeting underage drinking.
Command officials will be monitoring the parade from the department’s Real Time Crime Center located on the third floor of Police Headquarters. The officials will view video feeds from cameras positioned along the parade route and will be communicating with officers on the street to alert them to specific incidents if necessary. Utilizing the Real Time Crime Center has proven to help officers’ access information quicker and easier and it’s expected to be a strong resource for Sunday’s event. Command officials used the Real Time Crime Center during the parade last year for the first time and found that it enhanced security.
Additionally, the Worcester Police Department has been collaborating with the Massachusetts State Police to prepare for the parade. Massachusetts State Police bomb and explosive detection dogs and their handlers will be deployed before and during the parade to conduct a sweep of the area.
The department would like to remind the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity. Citizens can utilize the department’s text a tip service- If anyone has information for police they can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Department at (508) 799-8466.
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