Matt Trump
08-24-2004, 11:41 PM
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2004/08/24/news/top_news/e229e5e72da6cf3f86256efa004aa586.txt
Divide and conquer? Police look for ways to control Homecoming crowds
By JON ERICSON, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- Massive crowds on College Hill at the past few University of Northern Iowa Homecoming events worry Cedar Falls Police.
Police Chief Rick Ahlstrom says the crowds last year in the 2200 block of College Street were much larger than in 1996, the year Cedar Falls gained national notoriety when drunken revelers flipped cars and threw bricks and bottles at police.
"The crowds are getting larger, particularly the last two years," Ahlstrom told a City Council committee Monday. "If we stick with the status quo, we will have problems at some point."
Following the 1996 riot, several measures were taken to help prevent its recurrence. The 2200 block of College Street was blocked off on Homecoming night, and no cars were permitted to park there. Crowd control training and tactics were emphasized and the police beefed up staffing with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol and the UNI Department of Public Safety.
UNI Homecoming is the weekend of Oct. 9.
This year, the police plan to try several new measures to help prevent a problem.
One such idea is putting a 20-foot-wide rectangular concrete barricade down the middle of the 2200 block of College Street. Police would be allowed inside, but the public would not. The barrier would split the street and reduce the crowd density.
Ahlstrom acknowledged the barrier would move the crowd farther north on College Street, but said it would also break up the crowd in more open space.
The city will also install new brighter, whiter lighting in the commercial section of College Hill. Those lights will assist with four new video cameras the police department purchased to mount high above the Hill. Ahlstrom said the idea there is to make sure the partiers know they're being watched. He wants it to serve as a deterrent to supposedly anonymous crowd behavior, as well as assist in prosecuting law breakers.
Last year the police had an incident Ahlstrom feared would lead to a larger disturbance. Near the Chinese restaurant on College Street a crowd threw rocks and bottles at police officers. Police wound up using pepper spray on several hundred people to get out of that area. However, the incident didn't blow up into further problems.
According to Ahlstrom, the city needed to look at some more measures to ensure a relatively quiet Homecoming.
Adding a fire truck
Another change will be locating a fire truck on College Hill. It will serve two purposes --- close proximity in case a fire breaks out in the commercial district and the ability to spray a mist over the crowd for control if needed.
Councilman Kamyar Enshayan said the university and city should look at some ways to spread out the crowds.
"If you want fewer people there, we should probably look to have different events at the same time," Enshayan said.
He talked about having bands at different locations around campus to create several smaller crowds.
UNI tried alcohol-free events following the 1996 disturbance, but attendance was disappointing.
UNI Student President Brendon Moe attended the committee meeting and thought it would be difficult to draw crowds away from College Hill.
"Right now it's hard for the university to sponsor an event that has alcohol, so it would be hard to move it," Moe said.
Cedar Falls typically arrests two non-students for every student arrested Homecoming weekend.
"UNI students are not the problem," Ahlstrom said. "Others driving in here from around the state or out of state cause the problems."
Divide and conquer? Police look for ways to control Homecoming crowds
By JON ERICSON, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- Massive crowds on College Hill at the past few University of Northern Iowa Homecoming events worry Cedar Falls Police.
Police Chief Rick Ahlstrom says the crowds last year in the 2200 block of College Street were much larger than in 1996, the year Cedar Falls gained national notoriety when drunken revelers flipped cars and threw bricks and bottles at police.
"The crowds are getting larger, particularly the last two years," Ahlstrom told a City Council committee Monday. "If we stick with the status quo, we will have problems at some point."
Following the 1996 riot, several measures were taken to help prevent its recurrence. The 2200 block of College Street was blocked off on Homecoming night, and no cars were permitted to park there. Crowd control training and tactics were emphasized and the police beefed up staffing with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol and the UNI Department of Public Safety.
UNI Homecoming is the weekend of Oct. 9.
This year, the police plan to try several new measures to help prevent a problem.
One such idea is putting a 20-foot-wide rectangular concrete barricade down the middle of the 2200 block of College Street. Police would be allowed inside, but the public would not. The barrier would split the street and reduce the crowd density.
Ahlstrom acknowledged the barrier would move the crowd farther north on College Street, but said it would also break up the crowd in more open space.
The city will also install new brighter, whiter lighting in the commercial section of College Hill. Those lights will assist with four new video cameras the police department purchased to mount high above the Hill. Ahlstrom said the idea there is to make sure the partiers know they're being watched. He wants it to serve as a deterrent to supposedly anonymous crowd behavior, as well as assist in prosecuting law breakers.
Last year the police had an incident Ahlstrom feared would lead to a larger disturbance. Near the Chinese restaurant on College Street a crowd threw rocks and bottles at police officers. Police wound up using pepper spray on several hundred people to get out of that area. However, the incident didn't blow up into further problems.
According to Ahlstrom, the city needed to look at some more measures to ensure a relatively quiet Homecoming.
Adding a fire truck
Another change will be locating a fire truck on College Hill. It will serve two purposes --- close proximity in case a fire breaks out in the commercial district and the ability to spray a mist over the crowd for control if needed.
Councilman Kamyar Enshayan said the university and city should look at some ways to spread out the crowds.
"If you want fewer people there, we should probably look to have different events at the same time," Enshayan said.
He talked about having bands at different locations around campus to create several smaller crowds.
UNI tried alcohol-free events following the 1996 disturbance, but attendance was disappointing.
UNI Student President Brendon Moe attended the committee meeting and thought it would be difficult to draw crowds away from College Hill.
"Right now it's hard for the university to sponsor an event that has alcohol, so it would be hard to move it," Moe said.
Cedar Falls typically arrests two non-students for every student arrested Homecoming weekend.
"UNI students are not the problem," Ahlstrom said. "Others driving in here from around the state or out of state cause the problems."