Rose Parade, Rose Bowl Employ New Technology To Protect Crowds From Vehicle Mitigation

Vehicle barriers at Rose Bowl Stadium Security officials expand use of Archer 1200 barriers at stadium and key parade locations. Barriers stop vehicles yet maintain pedestrian and emergency access.

Of course, we are concerned about ensuring that pedestrians and vehicles are safely separated.— Pasadena Police Lieutenant Sean Dawkins

With hundreds of thousands of spectators expected to attend the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade and game, Pasadena Police and security executives are calling on the latest in vehicle mitigation technology to protect crowds.

For the first time, Pasadena Police are extending the use of Meridian Rapid Defense Group’s Archer 1200 portable vehicle barrier to key areas around the perimeter of the parade. The engineered steel barrier was successfully used last year at the main entrance of the Rose Bowl Stadium. Deployments this year have been expanded to multiple locations. They can be seen by the public at the Rose Bowl Stadium or the parade route at Colorado and Orange Grove Bridge.

Protecting attendees during the city’s highest profile event is a daunting task – one that is complicated by the mix of pedestrians and vehicles sharing access to many of the city’s streets.

‘We will have more than 700,000 people lining the parade route and traveling on foot through the downtown area,’ said Pasadena Police Lieutenant Sean Dawkins. ‘Of course, we are concerned about ensuring that pedestrians and vehicles are safely separated.’

The Archer 1200 barrier is a certified solution meeting both U.S. and European standards of protection. A particular benefit for an event like the parade festivities is that the barriers stop vehicles without impeding the free flow of pedestrian foot traffic.

‘It is very important for us to strike a balance,’ said Rose Bowl Stadium Chief Operating Officer George Cunningham. ‘Public safety is our number one priority. The Archer 1200 solution allows us to use state of the art protection and still have the ability to efficiently admit nearly 100,000 visitors into the stadium.’

With hostile vehicle attacks on the rise worldwide, municipal police and security operatives must develop comprehensive plans for any event drawing significant outdoor crowds. Often times, cities must resort to using ad hoc measures that are not tested for effectiveness. These include cement rails and plastic water barriers which are designed to keep cars on the freeway as well as public vehicles like trash trucks, fire engines, and squad cars. The latter poses a significant risk of equipment costs should an incident occur.

‘Cities know there is a real need for protection,’ said Peter Whitford, CEO of Pasadena-based Meridian Rapid Defense Group, the manufacturer of the Archer 1200. ‘We designed our product to address the real technology void in HVM (hostile vehicle mitigation). Beyond the first step which is certified performance, our barriers offer ease of deployment and flexibility. This allows law enforcement to place the barriers where needed and react to any change in threat level.’

The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Stadium will be utilizing more than 65 barrier units across four high-access locations. This more than doubles the fleet used for the 2018 Rose Bowl Game. Placement of the barriers restricts non-authorized access but also allows for entry of emergency vehicles if required.

The Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl Game take place on January 1, 2019. For more information about Meridian Rapid Defense Group or the Archer 1200 Vehicle Barrier, visit www.betterbarriers.com .