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Police propose phased purchase of truck-stopping barriers and tethered drones for special-event safety
Summary
Wausau police presented a multi-year plan to buy portable vehicle barriers capable of stopping trucks and tethered drones to provide prolonged aerial surveillance at large public events. The proposal is phased because of high cost; no immediate funding decision was made.
Deputy Chief Todd Payton and other police leaders told the committee the city's traditional wooden barricades are not sufficient to stop a vehicle threat at modern large events and parades. The police recommended a multi-year, phased investment in portable, vehicle-stopping barriers and tethered drones to provide continuous aerial observation.
"If it's a barrier that you can drive a pickup truck through then it's not good enough today," Deputy Chief Todd Payton said, describing how modern portable systems and fixed bollards used in other cities provide better protection than wooden sawhorses.
Police said the combined equipment cost is large, so they proposed splitting purchases across four years rather than asking for the full amount in one year. For example, staff described an initial phase of roughly $108,000 followed by larger purchases in later years to fully equip parade routes and downtown special-event corridors.
Tethered drones provide persistent overhead observation because the tether supplies power and networking, eliminating the battery-life limits of free-flying drones. Police said drones and barriers together are a force-multiplying strategy that can reduce the number of officers required to monitor a large event and improve situational awareness.
The committee did not approve funding at the July 21 meeting; members accepted the phased plan for scoring and asked staff to include the request in the CIP book for future consideration.
Why it matters: downtown parades and other events draw large crowds and depend on reliable public safety infrastructure; upgrading to certified vehicle-stopping barriers and adding persistent aerial observation would change how the city staffs and secures events.
