Police promise more presence for Welcome America

By Sean Carlin and Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: June 29, 2012

AMID the festivities and revelry along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on July Fourth, police plan to make their presence more visible.

Mayor Nutter said Thursday that 12 "police beacons" will be set up Wednesday along the Parkway as part of the Wawa Welcome America Festival! which culminates with a concert featuring the Roots and Queen Latifah at 7 p.m., followed by fireworks.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said that the outposts would be staffed by at least two police officers and stocked with brochures for people looking for information during the event.

Ramsey said the police presence would be "slightly increased" from last year and that shifts would be extended to adequately staff the festival and the city.

"We've got extended shifts and days off canceled to be able to handle the variety of things that'll be going on in the city," Ramsey said. "We've got to deal with a variety of things and we'll have ample people available for that."

When asked whether he had concerns that Occupy Philadelphia protesters in town for a national convention would disrupt the event, Nutter said that he'd been in contact with the group and that the same rules apply to that group as to everyone else.

Contact Sean Carlin at 215-854-5926, carlins@phillynews.com or on Twitter @SeanCarlin84.

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