“So if there’s a person that’s drunk next to me, or cussing at my kids or I see a suspicious package, anything like that, we encourage fans to text the command center,” Marciani explains. “The role of the fan has changed.”
Maintaining good communication with spectators through a variety of means — such as video boards and PA announcements — can make sporting events safer, Marciani says.
A similar system is in place at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, according to Mattox.
“At the Georgia Dome, [the texting system] is called ‘Fan Assist,’” explains Mattox. “If there’s any issue — there’s been a spill, or there’s a disorderly fan who is causing issues — then a fan can text the number that is posted around the Georgia Dome.”
“They text a message, and include what section and row they’re in, and it goes to what they call ‘Georgia Dome Control’ and then they send security out to handle it,” he concludes.
Fines Can Prevent Riots
“Some leagues have financial penalties” to deter fans from rushing onto the court or playing field, Marciani says. “If one school is playing another in a conference, and the school rushes onto the court, there is a penalty for them doing that. So that’s another way of asking you to support the conference’s philosophy of no celebratory rioting on the court.”
The Southeastern Conference uses such penalties, according to Mattox.
Mattox says that due to crowd misconduct at Southeastern Conference basketball games, conference officials implemented a fine structure. This approach has dramatically reduced disruptive behavior, he claims.
Venue Security Conducts Searches
The University of Southern Mississippi outsources its game security to a security firm. Personnel from that firm perform bag searches as fans enter the stadium to prevent weapons and alcohol from being taken inside.
“There’s always police behind the security, ready to back them up [in case of an incident],” says Marciani. “At most universities, [bag searches] are performed by an in-house trained group or outsourced group, such as a security firm.”
The universities that are part of the Southeastern Conference all contract with different security firms, but the conference works closely with them, Mattox says.
Metal detectors are another way of screening fans before they enter a stadium.
It Helps to Plan Ahead
Prior to a sporting event, the Southeastern Conference holds a pre-event meeting and a security meeting to prepare.
“At our security meeting we meet with the venue security, and then we meet with local law enforcement and sometimes state law enforcement,” Mattox explains. “We address police escorts for the coaches, vans and things like that for the teams.”
Conference games are monitored by venue security and police; in addition, the conference has an event coordinator onsite who is “basically our direct contact with the venue regarding the event,” Mattox explains.
Collaboration is Key
Marciani says that collaboration between the university, campus police; local, regional and (if needed) state-wide law enforcement, should start during the planning stages of an incident action plan. How the groups will interact with one another in the case of a riot should be put into operational plans.
“You should have the resources built into your plan to handle such issues [as rioting],” Marciani continues. “For instance, in basketball, you can surround the basketball court with security. In football, you can have police on horses. There’s ways of preventing fans from coming onto the field.”
Marciani also believes that monitoring social media sites like Twitter can let security officials know in advance if fans are planning to storm the field.
University public safety, administrators, as well as local and regional law enforcement should also receive training on preventing and responding to celebratory riots.
When Prevention Doesn’t Work
Despite extensive planning, training and security measures, sometimes celebratory riots still occur. What should you do then?
“Logically speaking, the first thing you should do is protect your people,” Marciani says. “Get the players and coaches off the court as quickly as possible.”
The next step, Marciani continues, is to “begin to control the effort of the riot in the sense of showing force.” Police and security officers should span the group of potential rioters in an effort to remove them from the court.
If a riot occurs during a Southeastern Conference game, “we have a designated place in the facility where these groups of people [venue security, conference personnel and law enforcement] will meet and assess the situation and determine if we need to suspend play or send the teams to the locker room or offsite,” Mattox says.
