Policing the Packed House – Managing Indoor Events in Urban High Schools [NIAAA]

By: John Fraraccio, CAA - Memorial High School (NJ)

Sitting atop the New Jersey Palisades overlooking the skyline of "The Big Apple," the community of West New York lies directly across the Hudson River from downtown Manhattan. Built as a result of the development of textile industries at the onset of the twentieth century, West New York (population 50,000) consists of a number of high-rise apartment buildings and is one of the most densely populated urban areas in the United States. The city is also characterized by its diversity; four out of every five residents in West New York speak English as a second language.

Memorial High School serves more than 2,000 students in grades 9-12. Like many urban secondary schools, the Memorial campus covers a limited footprint that includes both its main academic building and a multi-sport, artificial turf athletic field. Its gymnasium is tucked within the confines of the brick structure, and its athletic program competes in the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League (HCIAL), a conference consisting of both public and parochial schools in the northern part of New Jersey.

The boys basketball program at Memorial is highly competitive and attracts great interest from both the student body and the general public during the winter months. The school has won three state championships in its history, the most recent one being in 2002. Given the size of the facility, the competitiveness of its programs, and the ardent nature of its fan base, the Tigers frequently play in front of full-capacity crowds. Managing these contests involves meticulous scheming, careful execution, and coordinated teamwork among all members of the event staff.

The level of organization and the procedures required of athletics personnel at Memorial High School in hosting interscholastic basketball contests is not unlike that of many other city schools throughout the United States. Although all planning is venue-specific, urban schools frequently share many of the same challenges in managing their home athletic contests, including:

• Older facilities that were built a century ago to accommodate a much smaller school population
• Inadequate seating for any athletic events that attract large crowds
• Smaller "buffer zones" or spacing along the perimeter of the facility that place spectators "on top of the action" and create narrow avenues for spectator movement
• Communication challenges posed by multi-culturalism within the community

The Power of Proactivity: The Staff Security Meeting

Much of the effort that results in executing a successful interscholastic athletic event takes place long before the opening tip. Identifying (a) the personnel required for managing the activity, (b) the areas in which they will be deployed, and (c) the specific tasks that they will be assigned are critical. For a contest slated to occur in a tightly packed facility, these elements take on a particular significance. With energetic crowds sitting in close proximity to the action and the emotions that are part of high school basketball on full display, an athletic director in this setting must anticipate a range of crowd behavior scenarios and identify appropriate responses. Communication and training are essential to this process.

At Memorial High School, we dedicate all necessary funding to support the athletic department, particularly for venue and event security. Our superintendent truly believes that security has "no price tag." We utilize faculty members as part of our game day security team; they know our student body and are, in turn, known by them. At the same time, we have developed a positive working relationship with our local police department, who help staff our events. They are readily available to serve our school’s needs and are an integral part of our security plan.

Staff training is an essential part of our mode of operation. As a result, we conduct seasonal meetings to address the key components of event management in our gymnasium. In addition to offering us an opportunity to conduct "tabletop exercises" to identify specific game management issues that we may face on the night of a Tiger basketball home game, it also creates an opportunity to communicate one message to all of the stakeholders in the contest. Attendance at these meetings is mandatory for all persons assigned to work at our basketball games (or other contests covered by event staff).

The starting point for organizing our staff is identifying our basic expectations for being part of the game day team. Assignments for any upcoming events are distributed on Fridays, and security staff members are responsible for communicating any conflicts in their personal schedules. We require our game day workers to arrive at designated times and to be punctual in doing so; all work times are established to allow maximum coverage of the event and consistent attention to safety and security.

Although we recognize that our faculty members are interested in supporting our school team, we remind them that they are assigned to work the event. The safety and security of the venue and all participants is the main reason that they were selected for this assignment. We continually remind our staff of the following points:

• Be proactive, not reactive.
• Be visible.
• Be vocal.
• Everyone should know that you are working security.

The most important part of each meeting is outlining the specific expectations that we have for our event workers. Given the smaller footprint in which we operate and the size of our crowds, we emphasize the importance of consistency and vigilance in carrying out these post orders. At Memorial, the following procedures have been established for our games:

1. Establishing coverage at the entry points of the facility to visually screen all spectators
2. A "no bag" policy (that is supported by proactive communication via school announcements - at both Memorial High School and West New York Middle School - and by Google classrooms)
3. No outside food and drink allowed in the gymnasium
4. Use of designated coverage areas (in each corner of the gymnasium) where security staff workers focus on:
   1. Managing traffic in the "buffer zones"
   2.  Keeping the first row of each quadrant of bleachers clear of spectators
   3. Being a back-up in the event that front area screening personnel require it
   4. Scanning the crowd in their sector in order to identify angry fans or prohibited behaviors
   5. Addressing taunting of opposing players or officials
   6. Monitoring pedestrian traffic
   7. Ensuring that off-limits areas (team locker rooms, officials changing rooms) are secure
5. No fans allowed on the court under any conditions
6. Security staff walk in front of stands during timeouts, between junior varsity and varsity games, and at the conclusion of the contests to deter fans from walking onto the court
7. Protocols in the event that it becomes necessary to clear the facility
8. Other specific emergency procedures

Security for Game Personnel

Once a basketball game at Memorial High school gets underway, among the areas that we are most concerned about are those reserved for team personnel and people assigned to the score table (timer, scorekeepers, statisticians). Given the emotions that can ebb and tide during a high school basketball game, these areas can be particularly vulnerable. For the safety and security of all participants, it is critical that these areas receive additional support and attention.

At Memorial High School, we have established a series of protocols for managing the security needs of these critical areas. Our administration has crafted a one-page document articulating these expectations and shares them in advance of the contest with both home and visiting team personnel. Among the specific components of our game day planning at Memorial are the following:

• The area immediately to the side of each bench or the extended bleachers behind the bench are reserved for players and members of the coaching staff.
• Only active players and coaches will be permitted on or around the bench during game time.
• Only active, uniformed players and coaches with proper footwear will be permitted on the gym floor.
• Members of the coaching staff must monitor the behavior of athletes and team personnel not playing during game action (JV during freshman game, etc.)
• Please follow all direction from the public address announcer
• No phone use will be permitted at the scorer’s table during play.
• At the conclusion of the game, teams will leave and/or wait as a group in the previously designated areas

Athletic directors who may not be familiar with the non-uniformed personnel (coaches, team managers) of a visiting school may want to consider creating an identification system for designating those individuals who are entitled to access the bench and score table areas. The use of badges (on lanyards) creates a visual cue for event security staff that individuals populating those areas are entitled to be there. Some schools assign specific security personnel to stand or sit near team benches; these individuals are there to prevent unwanted individuals from accessing these areas and may also be used to escort teams to and from their locker rooms.

"Exit, Stage Left": Egress Strategies

The work of game administration at a basketball game or other home gymnasium contest does not end when the final buzzer sounds. In some cases, the athletic director must perform some of the most important work of the night during the period when the crowd egresses from the event. The smaller the footprint of the venue, the more difficulty that an athletic director may face in ensuring that everyone leaves the facility safely and in an orderly manner.

At Memorial High School, we recognize that the compact nature of our facility poses challenges to managing traffic in the aftermath of the game. In training our event day staff, we pay specific attention to addressing not only our policies and procedures for our "exit strategy," but also each of their specific responsibilities in managing that work. Our priority always is to get people out of the gym. Other tasks, such as picking up chairs and pushing in bleachers, can wait until later.

Over the years, we have found the following practices to be helpful in managing this work:

• Coordinating efforts so that visiting fans leave the building immediately after the conclusion of the contest
• Designating a specific waiting area for parents of Memorial High School players to meet with their son or daughter following the game
• Ensuring that Memorial High School students remain off the floor following the game and do not loiter in the gymnasium area
• Providing an escort for the visiting team to its bus

We have found these guidelines to be helpful in managing our exit traffic following our games. Other best practices for schools in urban school environments include:

• Putting a designated amount of time on the scoreboard following the final game of the evening and beginning a countdown as a reminder to exit
• Utilizing the services of the public address announcer to remind spectators to exit the facility
• Having game day workers remind spectators to exit and serve as ushers for this process

A Countywide Effort

Security at the athletic events in our conference requires a collective effort. The other athletic directors in the HCIAL and I work together to make all venues home and away safe. For example, we are surrounded to the north by North Bergen and to the south by Union City. As you can imagine, both schools are big rivals. On game weeks in all sports, but especially in basketball, we communicate and see what we need from each other. These schools will send additional security and usually one of two of their towns' officers to assist. Safety is a partnership with all involved in Hudson County.

Although we have identified our key areas of concern and response strategies for safety and security at Memorial High School athletic events, we also recognize that our work is on-going. We review all of our procedures on a regular basis and adjust as necessary. Concerns about a specific game or a major county rivalry may require us to adjust or alter our plans. At all times, our primary goal is that our student-athletes and spectators have a positive and safe experience.