Prescott advertises itself as Arizona’s Christmas City. Every year, the Christmas Parade and Courthouse Lighting event is a big draw. It’s one of the biggest weekends for the city to play host to out-of-towners.
This Saturday the lights will turn on again and Santa will wave to children from his sleigh. But recent tragedies like the Las Vegas shooting and New York truck attack are causing even small-town gatherings to amp up security.
Amy Bonney is deputy chief of police at the Prescott Police Department. She said they’ve looked at recent tragic events in public spaces, and decided to be proactive.
They’ll have more uniformed officers in the crowd, too. But the department wants attendees to be mindful. In mass shootings, audiences have mistaken gunfire as part of a performance, and the confusion led to a delayed reaction.
And so the 63rd-annual Courthouse lighting this Saturday will have some extra red and blue lights this year.
