Osky police call the president's visit a success
Posted: 08.16.2012 at 3:24 PM
It took the cooperation of several county and city departments, but President Obama's visit to Oskaloosa is deemed a success.  / KTVO's Kate Allt
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OSKALOOSA, IOWA -- President Obama's visit to Oskaloosa Tuesday was the first time a sitting president has stopped in the town since 1903, so Democrat, Republican, or otherwise, the campaign stop was a big deal to the town.

For the Oskaloosa Police Department, the visit meant working with the Secret Service and coordinating employees of several city and county departments to run security and traffic control. The OPD's primary responsibility was to handle President Obama's route into and out of town.

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He came to Oskaloosa on Highway 92 and left going north on Highway 63. The Oskaloosa Police blocked 38 intersections across town to make sure the president and his staff were able to come and leave quickly and safely.

Two days later, the crowds and security have left town, and Police Chief Jake McGee said things could not have gone better.

"I think it was a unique experience, I think everyone involved with it really enjoyed working it and just seeing how an event of this size and having the President of the United States in your city and working with the other agencies involved in that," Chief McGee said. "So it was a unique and exciting experience and it went well."

McGee said his department was commended by President Obama's staff on how smoothly everything went during the event.