Kingston police get new barriers for crowd, traffic control

Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti stands beside a trailer with newly purchased steel barriers on Friday, March 17, 2023. (Tania Barricklo/Daily Freeman)

KINGSTON, N.Y. — A new set of traffic and crowd-control barriers are soon to pop up at city events and on streets that need to be sealed off.

Police Chief Egidio Tinti said the department purchased 18 heavy plate steel Meridian Rapid Defense’s Archer 1200 Vehicle Barriers in January. The barriers weigh 700 pounds each. They were delivered earlier in March in time to be used at the St. Patrick’s Parade on Sunday, March 12.

The chief said more might be ordered.

“They are being used by other law enforcement agencies for traffic controls and crowd security,” Tanti said in an email. “They offer much more protection in those areas than traditional, older methods like wooden barricades or cones and can be moved very quickly should they need to be.”

The barriers were purchased using city funding, Tinti said. The 18 barriers, trailer, dollies, and additional control accessories cost $160,000.

“We were unable to find any grant funding specific to this type of equipment,” Tinti said.

The company lists the benefits of these barriers on its website:

• Provide drop and stop convenience with no heavy equipment required.

• Allows for one-person deployment of an eight-barrier trailer in under 10 minutes.

• Permits pedestrian and emergency vehicle access without moving a barrier.

• Archer hauler allows for easy movement of barriers by adults of any stature.

• No maintenance, electricity, hydraulics or batteries.

“Meridan’s Archer anti-vehicle barriers provide a new option for security and protect an organization’s investment in its people, facilities and assets,” the company website said.

Tinti said the department choose the barriers for their quick deployment.

“The website link shows them used for counter-terrorism applications, but we chose them for their durability and ease of deployment,” Tinti said.

The chief said the barriers will come in handy.

“We plan to primarily use them in large traffic or crowd events, like festivals and fairs where streets need to be closed off to vehicular traffic,” Tinti said. “Since they are easy to move around (each one weighs 700lbs (pounds) but a single officer can move them with the dolly), we will deploy them whenever necessary. They are loaded on a custom-built trailer that can be towed to the scene with a truck.”

Tinti said police used old-style barricade tactics in the past.

“In the past, we have used wooden barricades and cones, as well as large trucks and cars to block intersections,” Tinti said. “They (the new barriers) can only be moved with the designed dolly. Very fast deployment once the trailer is on scene and very fast to move them out of the way should an emergency vehicle need access to the site.”

Tinti added that Meridan’s website has several videos showing the putting together of and deployment of the barriers.