Montgomery March Public Safety Plan: What You Should Know
In less than 24 hours, the streets of downtown Montgomery will be filled with thousands of visitors from across the nation coming to witness the Selma to Montgomery March. With the crowds on their way, the city is preparing for its last minute public safety efforts. By 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, crowds will be waiting right in front of the capital steps — but not without public safety agencies watching them both physically and behind-the-scenes. Whether it’s watching you by surveillance video or out on the street, the plan for public safety officials is to have all hands on deck. “This is kind of the final hour. This is the bigger one for us,” Said Montgomery Public Safety Director, Chris Murphy. We saw a crowded Selma about two weeks ago. Now, those agencies from across the state — about 40 of them — will all be in Montgomery. Some will be watching from the Emergency Operations Center. “We have resources from all over the county that would report in there,” Said Murphy. From the Montgomery Police Department, fire department, public works, Red Cross and more… “Rather than have to search, this person has the ability to make those decisions for the agencies coordinating with the director crisis center where a lot of decisions will be made,” Said EMA Director, Calvin Brown. And outside? Uniformed and undercover officers. Cameras are also situated along the route. Some visitors don’t mind the extra set of eyes… “You’ll feel safe and your parents will feel safe like where you’re going. In big groups anything can happen in big groups. So I think there should also be a lot of enforcement and people watching over,” Said Mariyah Baker from Evansville, Indiana. Just because the march will be happening in downtown, public safety officials want to reassure citizens they’re not neglecting the rest of the city — it’s why they’ve brought in other agencies to town. “Freeing up Montgomery Police officers to do regular patrol and respond to crime. We don’t want anyone to miss a beat,” Said Murphy. PARKING INFORMATION: If you’re going to St. Jude, you can park at the Biscuit stadium. Shuttles will take you there. If you’re sticking around only in downtown to march, you can park at the parking decks.
