CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Are you planning on watching the annular eclipse from some place like Padre Island, North Beach, or the Corpus Christi Seawall on Saturday?
You won't be alone. Stargazers can expect to see a heightened police presence, along with thousands of their neighbors, lining the waterline this weekend for a glance at the rare event.
CCPD Cpt. Timothy Frazier said that 40 additional officers will be on patrol Saturday to help deal with the influx of people expecting to watch the eclipse in town.
"For security purposes we're putting out extra security patrols out on the Island. Typically, more around the Whitecap Beach area, because that's supposedly where the best viewing is going to be in the city," he said.
Frazier said that making sure traffic is flowing properly is key to maintaining safety as people take to the roads to find their perfect eclipse-viewing spots.
The department is even bringing in an entire division of its officers to help.
"(Charlie division is) actually going to be working Friday, Saturday and Sunday," he said. "Those are normally our days off."
Some officers will be posted near certain roads and highways that Frazier said will be considered prime spots for drivers to stop and view the eclipse.
He said that police will have an extra set of officers on these streets will help keeping things running smoothly.
"We're going to be up and down Park Road 22 and State Highway 361 just making sure no one stops on the side of the road and causes traffic issues," he said. "We'll also be posted at major intersections so that if we have to get out and run the intersection manually, with officers in the intersection, we're gonna be doing that as well."