St. Charles police, firefighters no longer will participate in social distancing parades

St. Charles police officers and firefighters are no longer able to participate in social distancing parades after receiving an "overwhelming response" from the community, officials said.

The parades have become increasingly popular methods of celebrating a resident's birthday or other occasion during the coronavirus pandemic and stay-at-home order.

The police and fire departments initially offered to attend those events as time permits, but the commitment became too challenging due to time restraints. The city received 62 parade requests since April 3, said Cmdr. Rich Clark, who was coordinating the requests.

"Everyone truly enjoyed being involved and watching the children's faces as we drove up with our lights and sirens going," he said in a written statement. "But based on an increase in our calls for service, it has become increasing more difficult for our officers to participate in the daily parades."

Parades already scheduled with the fire department will be honored based on personnel availability.