By Chris Estrada
Northeastern’s plans for increased security during the Red Sox playoff run were put on hold following the team’s loss to the Chicago White Sox last weekend.
Jim Ferrier, associate director of public safety, said the university would have “continued in a citywide public safety effort as we did last year” if the Sox had made their way further into the playoffs.
Ferrier also said there were “no significant incidents that came out of a series this year” – referring to both the final regular season series with the New York Yankees and the American League Division Series with the Chicago White Sox.
“We had been working with the Boston Police Department in the final weekend of the regular season through the first playoff round,” he said. “We had an overall strategy for deploying our police officers in neighborhoods … as a deterrent to unruly celebrations to retain order.”
Ferrier said that approximately twice as many Northeastern police officers were on duty during the final regular season series with the Red Sox and the Yankees. If the games had been in different situations, the number of officers may have increased even more.
“In a nutshell, past history showed celebrations and sports gatherings tended to occur in Kenmore Square and on Hemenway Street based on the Super Bowls from the last two years,” Ferrier said. “We had history in mind.”
Northeastern students noticed the extra security on campus and in the community during the pivotal games.
“I went to the Friday and the Sunday games, and as I was walking home, there were so many police officers there that I was really hoping that there were no crimes actually happening in Boston,” said senior nursing major Lindsay Roache. She said the officers were lined up in “packs of fifteen.”
“All of the cops were on the streets at Hemenway and along Lansdowne,” Roache said. “It was overkill. I understand the reasoning for it, but I think it was a bit much.”
Nick Devito, a junior sociology major, said he didn’t mind the extra security.
“It was better to be safe than sorry,” he said. “You never know what could happen. It was probably good … that the police were everywhere.”
As far as what may have occurred in terms of rioting if the Red Sox had progressed to the next round, senior business major Kevin Witkowski said he felt the Sox 2004 ALCS victory over the Yankees would have quelled any potential incidents.
“I think that the difference this year would have been that we [had] already beaten the Yankees once, so I don’t think [celebrations] would have been as bad,” Witkowski said. “However, there are always gonna be people who wanna riot, who are going to make winning into a show.”
Vice President of Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier said he had “no sense that anyone expected any problem at all.”
“We had no problems,” Klotzbier said. “We may send a reminder from time to time … but by and large, we were ready for it. It creates an excitement here. You have to keep in mind that Northeastern’s on the site of the first World Series, and that our students are within ten minutes of Fenway. It’s bragging rights for our students, to be able to call home and tell their friends what’s going on.”
Klotzbier also praised the group of Northeastern students that created and sold the “Real Fans Don’t Riot” t-shirts that made headlines on local newspaper and television outlets.
“They’re a testament to the kind of students at Northeastern,” Klotzbier said. “It shows that our students are trying to work hard to make sure fans come away with a positive message.”
