BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Festivalgoers in Black Mountain were startled Saturday, Dec. 7, when they spotted a sniper squad on top of a building during the Holly Jolly event.

Black Mountain Police Chief Steve Parker said Monday it was not the first time the squad had been up there.

“They’ve been up there for three years,” Parker said.

The sniper team of two was positioned at the edge of the roof of the Black Mountain Yarn Shop.

Parker stressed that because terrorist attacks at large public outdoor gatherings have been increasing in recent years in the United States, parades like Holly Jolly should have public safety officers “just like for school safety.”

“We’ve seen that you don’t want your police to not be prepared,” Parker stated. Sniper teams, he said, act as “insurance to make public safety prioritized.”

Black Mountain residents took to social media over the weekend to voice their concerns about the snipers. Many expressed concerns about the snipers because they didn’t appear to be wearing police uniforms.

The uniforms were “not the typical uniforms,” Parker explained. “They had their SWAT uniforms on.”

As for why residents only now noticed the SWAT team on the rooftop, Parker said, “We were more overt than covert this year.”

Citing the cancelation of Asheville’s parade sending more paradegoers to Black Moutain this year, he said, “We thought we’d have more people this year, which we did.”

“Public safety is the biggest concern for us,” Parker said.