Darien Cop-Led Birthday Parades To End

DARIEN, IL — Birthday car parades have become part of the American landscape since states enacted stay-at-home orders in March. Darien is no exception.

Starting in June, though, Darien police officers, firefighters and public works employees will no longer take part in such parades, the city announced this week. This is happening as the state begins the new phase in the pandemic response. As in many towns, police cars often lead the birthday parades.

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In an interview, Police Chief Greg Thomas said the police have taken part in 109 parades since April 18. He said the police participated at minimal cost, but with benefit for the community.

"Most of the parades lasted a minute," the chief said. "Look at what return we received from these small efforts in being in the community. The relationship building is worth the money we spent. We're not taking officers who are in a district or a beat or a zone. It's a car assigned to the area to patrol anyway."

Perhaps the biggest parade was May 4 on Darien Club Drive, with more than 100 cars participating. It was the first birthday for Sebastian, the son of Danny Carnet and Sal Intile of Darien. They blasted dance music, sprayed confetti and even got the police and fire departments to take part. And Mickey Mouse, too. The Disney character got out of a car and visited with the parents and their child. TV news crews were on hand.

Some people objected to the parade in comments following Patch's story.

"This was extremely over-the-top and a complete spectacle," one person wrote. "Such a waste of Darien’s taxpayers dollars."