Local law enforcement officers weigh in on public safety in crowded spaces

Published: Jul. 6, 2022 at 9:48 PM EDT

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - When bad things happen around the country, it’s easy to wonder if the same thing could happen locally.

Violent acts, like the shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, can make it difficult to feel safe in crowded spaces. Local law enforcement officers said they look at what happens in other parts of the country and learn from it.

“We certainly see what happens on a national level and try to localize them and see how our plans can be improved. While we understand that just because it happened somewhere else, it may not happen here, but we evaluate what happened, we evaluate the response, and we utilize that information to improve our response,” said Lt. Chris Monahan with Harrisonburg Police.

Sgt. Butch Shifflett, with Staunton Police Department, said the same is true for the Queen City.

“We look at those ongoing events or the recent events that have happened and we’re aware of those so when we’re looking at staffing and everything and setting up the area, the layout, we take all of that into consideration,” said Shifflett.

Shifflett said for events like Happy Birthday America, they’re involved early on. The same is true for the Friendly City.

“We do have a special events committee. It’s makeup is the police department, the fire department, and public works. We meet on a regular basis,” said Monahan.

Still, they both ask the public to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.

“We also encourage everyone to be vigilant and if they see something of concern, say something to authorities,” said Monahan.

With any emergencies, you should call 911, but anything else can be reported to non-emergency lines.

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