4 Police Barricade Options for Road Closures and Limiting Access
First and foremost, roadside barricades are meant to keep people safe. This includes construction crews, pedestrians, motorists, and, in some instances, law enforcement officers.
Police officers may find themselves in situations where they need to use temporary barriers to close roads or limit access to the public. In such moments, it’s important for police departments to have dependable, versatile barricades in their arsenal. Here, we’ll explore four possible police barricade options and explain each of their unique advantages:
Heavy-Duty Security Barricades
Known as “King Tut” barricades, heavy-duty security barricades are perfect for forming a clear, semi-permanent border around an area. Like most of our products, they can lock together to form a continuous wall. Though the King Tut can be very heavy when ballasted, they’re relatively lightweight when empty. (Two people can set up a King Tut when empty.)
Billboard Barricades
The billboard barricade is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, method of crowd control on the market. Crowd barricades are effective because they’re portable, durable, and they can lock together to form a continuous line. While they’re not intended for use on roads or roadsides, law enforcement officers can use them to quickly set up a border around an area.
LCDs
Longitudinal channelizing devices (LCDs) are often used by roadside construction crews in medium-to-high speed traffic zones. LCDs are designed in a way to limit the impact of a moving vehicle. For reference, our 42” Jersey barricade is NCHRP-350 crash tested and accepted at TL3 standards. Plastic LCDs also come in bright colors –– like safety orange –– which are easier for motorists to spot than gray concrete or metal barricades.
Jersey Shape Barricades
The Jersey barricade is one of the oldest and most effective designs we have today. One of the best things about Jersey barricades is that they can serve a number of purposes. They have been used in a diverse array of places, from severe-weather situations in Alaska, to military bases, to construction sites. Unlike metal barricades, these plastic jersey barricades won’t rust or form jagged edges over time.
Barricade Add-Ons
In addition to the barricades themselves, sometimes certain accessories can play a big role in maintaining safety and security. Items like flashing hazard lights, barricade flags, and barricade fence panels can all act to deter pedestrians or motorists and provide an extra measure of privacy for any officers working in a restricted area.
Downsides to Concrete or Metal Barricades
Although they are still sometimes used, neither concrete nor metal can offer the same level of durability, portability, and safety as plastic ones for these situations. In fact, metal barricades have even been known to exacerbate safety issues, rather than solve them.
If a police department needs barricades that can be set up easily, moved quickly, and that can lock together to form a continuous fence, then plastic is the way to go.
The Bottom Line
At OTW Safety, we manufacture and sell our own barricades right here in the USA. We have a commitment to quality, and we ensure that our products are tough, adaptable, and, above all else, safe.
Contact our team for more information about our products and their applications.
