Tampa police urge safety as holiday season takes center stage
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa police are urging those attending special events downtown, like the New Year's Eve celebrations and the Reliaquest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, to be responsible.
The Reliaquest Bowl will be at Raymond James Stadium at noon on December 31. You should expect road closures and detours.
What they're saying:
Police tell FOX 13 another thing to be aware of is QR code fraud when parking. That's what happens when a criminal puts a QR code that makes it look like it's for parking, but really it just sends the money to the scammer who put up the code.
So be aware of what you're scanning.
And finally, so-called celebratory gunfire is anything but.
"A bullet goes up, it comes down," said TPD Chief Lee Bercaw. "Obviously, that could land on a loved one or someone else. So we can't have that at all. And again, we're going to have extra officers out here. I even have detectives coming out in the evening on New Year's Eve. So we will be out, but we need everybody to do their part and help keep everyone safe. Don't hesitate to report anything suspicious so we can do something."
The backstory:
Last year, a security guard for the art museum was shot as he tried to shoo away a batch of teens who had gathered to celebrate new year's.
This year, Tampa police are insisting that teens be accompanied by parents and guardians as they come downtown for special events, like fireworks.
Local perspective:
And as always, there will be special details to watch for drunk drivers, no matter which events you're going to or leaving from.
"Most importantly, no matter where you decide to celebrate the holiday, we will have extra officers, including those on horseback, or assigned to one of our specialty squads, like our DUI unit, our motor officers, our bike officers," said Bercaw. "Our officers will be throughout the city keeping everyone safe. They may not even be visible. Because we will have officers in plainclothes and undercover."
The Source: FOX 13's Evan Axelbank gathered this information in an interview with the Tampa Police Department and prior reporting.