Tampa Police Aviation Unit shares safety plan ahead of upcoming Gasparilla parades
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Police Department gave an update Monday on its efforts to ensure the safety of parade-goers, boaters and officers during the upcoming Gasparilla parades.
What we know
During its second security news conference in the last week, TPD described the aviation unit's importance in ensuring Gasparilla is as safe as possible.
"The aviation unit is obviously the eye in the sky," said Chris Shepherd, the unit's chief pilot. "We're the guys above the entire scene getting the large picture."
Shepherd spoke about the constant communication between many different agencies during these events.
"Communication is key in any major situation. The City of Tampa has done a great job of breaking up the different areas where we can communicate with specific people," said Shepard. "We have the ability in our aircraft to speak with them no matter if it's a marine unit, whether it's the Coast Guard, whether it's a unit on patrol or an undercover unit in an alley."
The Aviation Unit will be conducting security checks before each event, making sure nobody is in a place they shouldn't be.
Tampa Police will have hundreds of officers patrolling the parades. Officers know some parade-goers may have concerns following the New Year's Day terrorist attack in New Orleans.
Gasparilla 2025: Here’s what to know about the annual pirate parade
When it comes to keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, Shepard says that the aviation unit has the ability to zoom in on their helicopter cameras to see details about an individual.
Major Jason Dillaha, supervisor of the Tampa Police Special Support Division, says that their security plan for these big events is always evolving leading up to each event.
"This is a year-round process. It's not just for Gasparilla and safety is our number one priority," said Dillaha. "So we look at events all around the world whenever they happen to see if there is anything we take from them to improve upon our plans."
Dillaha said there have been no specific threats targeting Gasparilla.
What's next
The Gasparilla Children's Parade is this Saturday, Jan. 18.
The Gasparilla Pirate Fest will take place the following Saturday, Jan. 25.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Tampa Police Department.
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