The Archer 1200 Vehicle Barrier made by Meridian Rapid Defense Group is being used to help with public safety at Appleton's Mile of Music event, August 4, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The 10th annual Mile of Music continues in Appleton.
As eventgoers take over city streets, safety is the number one priority.
New metal barricades were installed around the event. The intent of these barricades is to help with public safety.
“It’s just another level of public safety for vehicle assaults, vehicle accidents, maybe situations like an impaired driver,” said Sgt. John Ostermeier with the Appleton Police Department.
Ostermeier says barricade is intended to stop vehicles very quickly.
“If a car drives into one of them, the barricade would essentially pivot forward and would kind of project up underneath the vehicle, and what it does, it kind of directs the vehicle in more of an up-warded direction versus a forward direction into the crowd,” said Ostermeier.
Eric Alms, president of Meridian Rapid Defense Group, says his company has seen an increase in demand for barriers — ever since the November 2019 Waukesha Christmas parade attack when a suspect drove his vehicle into the crowd, killing six people.
“These barriers are the strongest pure-mobile barriers in the world,” said Alms. “What’s happening, not only in Wisconsin but nationwide is that all of law enforcement is getting very, very focused on a better level of protection for crowded spaces.”
The barriers make a significant improvement in community safety.
“I think they’re huge because both the barriers, the things you can do visually, you want people to know that there are efforts being made and the fact that they are being made,” said Dave Willems with the Mile Team.
“The Waukesha Christmas parade attack really brought this to the public’s attention,” said Ostermeier. “It was an issue before that we worked on mitigating primarily using large trucks and such, but these are just a better option.”
Ostermeier says this is the first time these vehicle barriers have been used in the city.
“These are actual demo models, they’re not ours yet,” said Ostermeier. “The company brought them out for us, they set them up for Mile of Music today.”
One barrier costs more than $6,500. Appleton police hope to purchase some before the city’s next big event.
“Ultimately we would request to have more of them because this is just enough for a very small event, at the scale of Octoberfest, we’re looking at about 113 of them,” said Ostermeier.
For Appleton resident, Tarynn Johnson, this is her first time attending Mile of Music.
“It’s been awesome, the weather has been great,” said Johnson. “A little storms last night but we got nice sun today and a lot of people are out.”
She says with these barricades in place, she feels a bit safer.
“When it’s out there, it gives you the idea that there is safety and there is police presence on the different side streets,” said Johnson.
Because these barricades are in still being tested, authorities are not able to say what funds would be used to buy them.
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