Chatham County Police Department finalizes Orange Crush preparations

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga (WSAV)- The Chatham County Police Department (CCPD) has announced its plans for the upcoming event, Orange Crush, this weekend.

The Chatham County Police Department is planning to put a large number of additional officers on duty and will heavily patrol US Highway 80 and surrounding neighborhoods for this weekend’s event.

CCPD plans are in place to respond to a weekend where extremely high traffic volume causes significant congestion both are expected on Highway 80 and in several neighborhoods.

The department will utilize the same staffing model used during the hurricane season to make sure the maximum number of police officers are on duty, which will allow officers to cover Highway 80 and surrounding areas, while still having enough sworn personnel to respond to calls that come in from other parts of the county.

Officers are expected to be stationed along Highway 80 to assist with traffic flow and to be able to arrive quickly in the event of an emergency response. There are also plans intact for officials to heavily patrol neighborhoods on Whitemarsh, Wilmington, and Talahi Islands.

There is no plan to block off access to any neighborhoods or residential streets.

The Chatham County Police Department’s specialized units — and their equipment — will also be prepared to respond to emergencies, if necessary. This will include the Department’s Marine Patrol, Aviation, and K9 Units, as well as Forensic Drone Operators.

These enhanced operations are scheduled to run from Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 21, according to authorities.