$20,000 Homeland Security Program grant received for enhanced vehicle mitigation and physical barriers. Intersections like Jackson, Crawford, and Madison will be secured with bollards and barrels during major events. Watch the video to see why neighbors think it's important.BROADCAST SCRIPTWith thousands of neighbors filling downtown for festivals and other events, safety is top of mind in Thomas County."Six, seven years old, they ain't thinking about that car coming down that road," said Stroud.I'm taking a closer look at the tools the city is adding to help control crowds and keep everyone safe.Events are a big deal in Thomasville, but as they keep growing in size, making sure they're safe and secure becomes a challenge."We can look back at things that have happened across the country, and I hate to say it, but in Wisconsin, we saw cars go through some barricades that they had and entered into the parade route. People were injured. Unfortunately, some were killed," said Harris.Major Shane Harris says seeing how things have played out elsewhere pushes them to be more prepared for anything.The city recently received a $20,000 Homeland Security Program grant to improve vehicle mitigation and physical barriers.Just last month, Victorian Christmas brought out 30,000 to 40,000 people.The city blocked 8 to 10 intersections using patrol cars, garbage trucks, and city vehicles.But their goal is to swap out those big trucks for bollards, barriers, and barrelssafer options that won't take away from the event atmosphere."If you're having a Victorian Christmas, and you've got a trash truck at an intersection blocking so nobody can enter, I think that takes away a bit from the ambiance," said Harris.He says these new tools will help neighbors feel safer and more at ease during events."This is something that is gonna add a little bit of confidence in the people downtown in those events that they're secure," said Harris.I talked to neighbors to see if they were on board."It's a really good idea because you see people driving outrageous all the time, and that would kind of protect people from getting run over and you see it on TV all the time," said Stroud.Major Harris says they take at least two months before any big event to work on an operational safety plan.