GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Community events are popular in downtown Green Bay.
Whether it’s Fire Over the Fox or the Farmers Market on Wednesday’s, there’s always a large crowd.
On Broadway Marketing Director Brooke Hafs helps organize the weekly Farmers Market.
“Hearing an event like that happen saddens any organization that organizes community events.”
Working closely with the Green Bay Police Department, she says those who attend should feel safe.
“We give them a layout of our event, we give an estimated attendance, we give them all of the information they need to properly staff those events. And then we really rely on them as the experts to enforce the community safety of those events.”
Chris Dessellier and his wife are in Green Bay from the UP.
Saying the amount of people in attendance at an event isn’t the final factor of if they will go or not.
“We enjoy large crowds so something like that is not going to stop us from going out,” said Dessellier.
Adding it’s still important to always have an exit strategy.
“That’s always on my mind,” said Dessellier. “You have to have a way out and be paying attention to your surroundings and hopefully notice it before it happens, just play it safe out there.”
Green Bay Police Commander of Operations Kevin Warych says they talk and train about these scenarios.
“We really want to remind the community that Green Bay is a safe place.”
Even working with others to ensure safety if there were to be an active shooter.
“When we train people in the business sector of how to respond in an active shooter situation, and we train our own personnel,” Warych said. “We just want people to have a plan. Have that mental blueprint in their mind of if something happens, what am I going to do.”
Urging people to bring any suspicious activity to the police department is also a crucial to keeping the community safe.
