TAMPA, Fla. — Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather for the Gasparilla festivities this weekend. And the city of Tampa is preparing to keep every parade-goer safe from pirates, and any other dangers.
That means having law enforcement from 30 different agencies on duty by land, sea, and sky. Tuesday, 10 Tampa Bay got an inside look at the operation monitoring the event from the air.
Chris Shepherd is the Chief Pilot for the Tampa Police Aviation Unit.
"We will have an aircraft in the air from the beginning of the invasion until the end of the parade to keep everyone safe," he said. "We will be looking out for any boater in distress, any pirate who's accidentally walked the plank, or any suspicious activity."
They will be keeping a close eye from above using the most advanced technology.
"We can zoom in from the air and actually obtain a tag number off of a vehicle from several thousand feet above," Shepherd added. "If someone, let's say, lost an object, we would be able to zoom in and identify whether it was a cell phone or a firearm or something like that."
Shepherd said the stream from their helicopter cameras is automatically sent to the command post so they can provide an immediate response to whatever occurs.
With 300,000 people expected to attend the weekend festivities, clogging busy roadways, the helicopter crews also assist the emergency crews on the ground.
"We have had lots of incidents throughout the parade where we're trying to get either immediate emergency medical people. We just try to assist in getting them there as quickly as possible, so we might be able to give them the best route to get a firetruck or an ambulance to a location," Shepherd explained.
Not only will the crews be looking out for the safety of those on the water, but also in the water.
"We will also have an aircraft up looking for manatees to keep them safe throughout the festivities," Shepherd said. "And if there is an incident where they need to divert, they will communicate that to the boat and the marine units that are in the water."
As the beads are tossed, and cannons launched, law enforcement asks you to help keep every pirate safe.
"If you and your band of pirates see anything, make sure to tell someone that you see something suspicious," Shepherd added.
The Tampa Police Aviation Unit is also reminding everyone attending to leave the drones at home. They are not allowed to be flown during Gasparilla festivities.