Westerville increases police presence at Fourth of July celebrations

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — As hundreds of people headed home after the City of Westerville’s annual fireworks show, the police department was out in full force, making sure everyone got to their destination safely.

If you spent any time out in Westerville Thursday night, it wouldn’t have taken long before you saw an officer. Chief of Police Charles Chandler said that if an incident were to occur, he’d rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

After every Fourth of July event in Westerville, the department does a debrief. Chandler said they noticed that last year drew in a larger crowd, which is why enhanced security measures were added, but that’s not the only reason.

“We did have some juvenile fights last year and we noticed people were crossing Cleveland Avenue. You see, we’ve got the orange barricades out there,” said Chief Chandler.

The barricades are new in 2024. They are supposed to prevent people from jay-walking and encourage them to use the designated crosswalks. There’s also an Ohio Department of Public Safety tower that gave police a 360 view of the entire area. Drones, bicycle units and private security were also utilized.

“We don’t have any threats or anything tonight. It’s just important for us to protect the community,” he said.

According to the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, local police departments are asked to stay vigilant during large crowd celebrations, adding that the biggest threat comes from lone wolves, but the chief says that’s not a concern here.

“You do monitor what’s going on right across the world and across the country, but there’s no specific threat here,” said Chief Chandler.

The chief says that his goal is to make sure everyone has a great time and makes it home safe so that they continue to spend Independence Day in Westerville.

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