Additional security measures are in place for Friday evening’s Downtown Bellefontaine Hometown Christmas Parade. A SkyWatch Mobile Surveillance Tower is positioned along east Columbus Avenue on the north side of the Logan County Courthouse. As attendance has grown in recent years, city leaders requested an assessment of large-event security from the Ohio Department of Homeland Security, Bellefontaine Service-Safety Director Wes Dodds said. The agency recommended use of the tower, which was provided to the city at no cost, and ODHS personnel will staff it during the parade. Dodds emphasized that the tower is a precautionary tool to help keep an estimated 7,000 parade-goers safe and that no specific threats prompted its deployment. Concrete barriers and city vehicles also will block certain alleys and intersections to prevent vehicle access to the parade route, he added. (EXAMINER PHOTO | T.J. HUBBARD)
