Neenah police are working on ways to protect people from vehicle attacks like at the Waukesha parade

Duke Behnke, Appleton Post-Crescent
·4 min read
Neenah police are devising strategies to protect gatherings of people, like this crowd at Shattuck Park, from vehicle attacks.
Neenah police are devising strategies to protect gatherings of people, like this crowd at Shattuck Park, from vehicle attacks.

NEENAH - The 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy and other crimes that used a vehicle as a deadly weapon have spurred Neenah police to develop strategies to protect outdoor gatherings.

The strategies include positioning city-owned vehicles (squad cars, dump trucks, snowplows, etc.) as barriers on the main routes into an event. That practice is being done now for events like the Future Neenah Summer Kickoff Concert.

Other options include the placement of Jersey barriers, which are modular concrete obstacles typically used to separate lanes of traffic, or the purchase of portable barriers specifically designed to stop vehicles. Waukesha recently spent $800,000 on portable barriers.

Assistant Neenah Police Chief Jeffrey Bernice said Neenah would need about 230 feet of barriers to protect the 100 and 200 blocks of West Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Neenah. The cost of the barriers was estimated at more than $315,000.

Bernice and Police Chief Aaron Olson outlined the options Tuesday for the Public Services and Safety Committee and asked for direction on how to proceed.

"There's so many directions we can go," Olson said. "Some cost more money but are safer, such as what Waukesha just approved."

Snowplows from Grafton, Cedarburg and Saukville prevent cars from coming into the 2021 Grafton Christmas Parade.
Snowplows from Grafton, Cedarburg and Saukville prevent cars from coming into the 2021 Grafton Christmas Parade.

Bernice said the safety and security of outdoor events require a balancing act in today's world, where criminals and hostile groups prey on gatherings of people.

Venues that are open will be more welcoming but can be more susceptible to attack. Venues that are tightly secured will have more of a military feel that could be viewed as less welcoming.

Bernice highlighted four events in the past six years where a vehicle was driven into a crowd, including the July 14, 2016, attack in Nice, France, that killed 86 people and injured 458 others and the Nov. 21 attack in Waukesha that killed six people and injured 62 others.

Intoxicated or confused drivers also pose a risk at outdoor events. Bernice recounted several incidents of concern that occurred in Neenah.

  • Within the past five years, an intoxicated driver joined the high school homecoming parade on Wisconsin Avenue.

  • In 2018 or 2019, a confused motorist drove the wrong way into the Labor Day Parade on Wisconsin Avenue.

  • During Streetball in 2021, an intoxicated driver hit city vehicles parked as barriers at Wisconsin Avenue and Commercial Street. "If those vehicles were not there, there could have been some injuries to our citizens," Bernice said.

  • In 2021, a driver attempted to drive into the Labor Day Parade from Church Street but was stopped by an officer and the mayor.

RELATED: Noodles, Planet Fitness coming to former Neenah Shopko

RELATED: Neenah, Appleton farmers markets return for 30th season

Committee member Todd Stevenson said the portable barriers under consideration by police might work well to protect people attending a downtown concert, but he questioned how they would translate to the Memorial Day Parade, which has many more points of access.

"We're responsible from Forest Avenue all the way down to downtown," Stevenson said. "I think we have to come to an agreement as to what kind of events we want to protect and are going to expend dollars to protect."

Stevenson said that might mean no more parades, though he hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Committee member Lee Hillstrom said Neenah blocks off a number of streets for the Fox Cities Marathon and charges for the work.

"Do we then charge them more for doing this?" he asked. "I mean, there's a lot to think about."

Committee member Brian Borchardt said he didn't want the new strategies to "make anyone feel like they're in a war zone."

The committee asked police, in cooperation with other city departments, to analyze Neenah's community events and determine what vehicles, equipment and labor could be used or are needed to mitigate the risk of an attack.

Bernice recognized any course of action must fit within budget constraints.

"We don't have millions of dollars to create this perfect environment," he said.

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Click to see The Post-Crescent's special offers at postcrescent.com/subscribe and download our app on the App Store or Google Play.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Neenah develops strategies to protect people from vehicle attacks