Northeast News
March 16, 2012

Kansas City Police Department officers are prepared for Kansas City’s 40th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and holiday, and they want residents to be ready, as well.

The parade will begin at 11 a.m. March 17 and lasts approximately two hours. The parade course is on Broadway, beginning at 33rd Street and continues south to 43rd Street. Broadway will be closed from 31st Street to 47th Street. The parade staging area also will be closed prior to and during the parade. This includes Linwood from Main to Broadway and 33rd Street from Broadway to Pennsylvania. All cars parked in any of these areas must be moved before 6 a.m. Saturday.

Nearly 200 uniformed officers will be on or near the parade route. Most of these officers are on special assignment, so police service in other parts of the city will not be affected. Officers on horseback and ATVs also will patrol the outskirts of the parade route, as will canine officers. Police have also installed security cameras along the route to further monitor dangerous or suspicious activity. The police helicopter will be monitoring traffic flow in and around the parade and will assist as needed. Undercover detectives will also be in the crowd to enforce liquor laws.

“We hope that with police taking all of these safety measures, families and revelers will be free to enjoy the parade and other activities on what promises to be a beautiful day,” said Maj. Rich Lockhart, commander of the Special Operations Division.