Police on St. Croix will employ new crowd control safety measures throughout the holiday season, and will debut new strategies and equipment at the Christiansted Jump Up scheduled for Friday, Nov. 25.
Two mobile command posts will be parked in strategic locations in Christiansted, and four diesel powered flood light towers will illuminate dark areas of the boardwalk.
“It’s all about public safety,” St. Croix Police Chief Christopher Howell said.
Howell said the mobile police command and the mobile booking station are two pieces of equipment the police will use when assigned to protect large crowds. Additionally, the department has recently acquired flood light towers, which are capable of illuminating a four acre area. This equipment will eliminate the majority of the dark areas of the boardwalk.
The Department of Public Works will also contribute additional spotlights for Jump Up. Howell met with members of the Jump Up committee and discussed the police presence for the night. He said there will be officers and K9s at fixed locations and others patrolling on foot in designated sectors.
The police mobile commands are equipped with trauma packs and heart defibrillators. St. Croix Rescue mobile units will also be stationed in town. Howell said these enhanced safety measures will not only be utilized at Jump Up, but also at the St. Croix Crucian Christmas Festival events and other events throughout the year where large crowds are expected.
“Unfortunately, we are living in a time where enhanced security is necessary. When most people gather to have a good time, there are others who use these events for their own nefarious purposes,” Chief Howell said.
Howell added that juvenile officers will be out at Jump Up and will detain children under the age of 16 who are not in the “direct line of sight” of their parents or guardians after 10 p.m. Additionally, traffic checkpoints will be set up at designated intersections following the event.
