City Of Waukesha Chooses Mobile Barriers To Secure Parades, Events

WAUKESHA, WI — The City of Waukesha announced it would use mobile barriers to stop incoming cars and trucks as a safety measure for future parades, festivals and other events, the city announced on Friday.

The decision follows the Christmas parade tragedy in November 2021, after a man was accused of driving his SUV through a crowd and killing six people.

The city will use mobile vehicle barriers, or MVBs, to stop cars from passing into city parades and events, like Friday Night Live in downtown, officials said in a statement. The barriers are part of the city's security strategy.

A closed perimeter would be established around all events, officials said. For all future parades, like the Memorial Day Parade and 4th of July Parade, the city will use one route in the downtown.

The safety measures are meant to make the public feel safe going to city events, Waukesha police chief Dan Thompson said in a statement.

“While we can never prevent every type of criminal activity, we are doing our best to
make sure the events are as safe as possible,” Thompson said.

The city would use $800,000 in federal relief funds after approval from the Waukesha Common Council, city records showed.

Mifram Security, the company that builds mobile barrier systems, made a video of their system stopping a pickup truck and a delivery truck at full speed.