07-02-2025
Tampa police to keep close eye on Ybor's Illuminated Knight parade
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tens of thousands of people will pack the streets in Ybor City for the Illuminated Knight parade, but keeping everyone safe in a crowd that size is no small task.
From a room filled with screens and live camera feeds, Tampa police have a bird's eye view of Ybor city.
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'It's a hybrid, there is a mixture of sworn personnel, civilian analyst, and dispatchers,' Tampa police Sgt. James Valentino said.
During the illuminated knight parade, their job is to spot trouble before it happens, tracking movements, identifying potential threats and relying on crucial information on the ground.
'We're listening to calls that are going out. So, if we hear something, we're going to automatically start looking,' Sgt. Valentino said.
But it's not just law enforcement keeping watch. Business owners at carmine's in Ybor said they're constantly monitoring their surroundings.
'We certainly training our employees to watch for certain individuals that may be looks suspicious. And we just were just trained to do this every day,' owner of Carmine's in Ybor, Carmine Iavaroni said.
Ybor's deadly Halloween mass shooting and the recent attack in New Orleans have heightened concerns. Now both police and local businesses say they have made changes.
'I think there was an impact after that. But I think that's the way the world works, is, you know, something like that happens to a tragedy. Then we make adjustments, the city makes adjustments,' Iavaroni said.
Tampa police said this technology has already helped them prevent crimes and solve cases during past large-scale events.
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