Copyright NBC10 Boston
Halloween is serious business in Salem, Massachusetts, especially when it comes to safety. The city is expecting as many as 80,000 people downtown for Haunted Happenings on Friday. "We do increase the police presence in town on Halloween," said Mayor Dominick Pangallo. "We'll actually double the number of police officers." Planned road closures will be in place by noon Friday, along with all the barriers — including two that can be raised and lowered. The city acquired them after a vehicle drove into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's, killing more than a dozen people. "We have more hard road closures in place," the mayor said. "The barricades aren't just sawhorses. They're actually anti-vehicle barricades." Between 50,000 and 80,000 people are expected Halloween, but turnout is often dependent on the weather. "The crowds have been great," Salem Police Sgt. Marc Berube said. "We haven't had many problems at all, to be honest with you, with this many people coming in." The city is urging visitors to take public transportation, given the road closures and lack of parking downtown.
