Local law enforcement agencies are planning to have extra officers patrolling the streets this weekend, when the Syracuse University men’s and women’s basketball teams will be playing in their respective Final Four games.

The Syracuse Police Department and SU’s Department of Public Safety have been in communication throughout the week to determine how to best secure campus and the surrounding community, particularly if the men’s or women’s basketball teams are to win any games this weekend.

In Houston, the site of the men’s Final Four, police said they are expecting a challenge — but a manageable one — in keeping the city safe, given the number of people who will be there for the Final Four.

Representatives from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately return phone calls requesting comment for this story. Indianapolis is the host city for the women’s Final Four.

Tony Callisto, the chief law enforcement officer for DPS, said that DPS and SPD have a protocol in place for events such as the Final Four — a protocol he said was followed in 2003 and 2013, the last two times the men’s basketball team reached the Final Four. That includes increasing police presence on campus and monitoring specific hotspots such as Armory Square, Castle Court, Marshall Street and bars near campus.

But Callisto added that this year will require even more of a police presence throughout the weekend, given that both the men’s and women’s teams will be playing.

“This is certainly an unprecedented time,” he said.

The men’s team plays Saturday, and the women play Sunday. The men would play in the national championship Monday if they advance, and the women would play Tuesday if they advance.

Police already have specific plans for Saturday and Sunday, and they’ll develop plans for Monday and/ or Tuesday if necessary, Callisto said.

Officials from both DPS and SPD have had meetings and briefings together this week to coordinate those plans.

“We work pretty closely,” said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a spokesman for SPD. “They’ll have an idea of what we’re doing, and we’ll have an idea of what they’re doing.”

Helterline said students can expect to see DPS and SPD officers working together in some of the same spots this weekend, but he added that the two agencies have different jurisdiction that they’ll need to follow accordingly.

SPD, unlike DPS, has the authority to enforce New York state laws and city ordinances in areas off campus. DPS officers can enforce those laws and ordinances, but only on campus. DPS officers are also able to enforce the Syracuse University Code of Student Conduct, something SPD can’t do.

But Helterline said that the two agencies are hoping they will only need to monitor the community and not intervene, as was the case on Sunday, when there was a similarly strong police presence on campus after the men’s and women’s teams each clinched their Final Four berths. No SU students were arrested on Sunday night into Monday morning.

“We want everybody to relax and have a good time,” Helterline said. “It is a very exciting time. We’re just hoping that they can do it somehow responsibly, so everyone gets home safe.”

If things are to get out of hand, though, there is an emergency plan in place, which would entail using an even larger police presence by bringing in on-call officers, Helterline said.

In Houston, meanwhile, officials from the Houston Police Department have been working for “quite some time” with the Houston Fire Department, the mayor’s office and other agencies to prepare for the week, Assistant Police Chief Matt Slinkard said.

The department has past experience patrolling the city during events similar to this year’s Final Four, Slinkard said. The city hosted the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend, the 2011 men’s Final Four and Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.

But Slinkard added that it’s never an easy task to ensure that Houston remains a safe, family-friendly area during such events.

“You always try to learn from what went well last time and what didn’t,” he said. “And you try to adjust to make it a good event for the public and a safe event for all.”

Published on March 31, 2016 at 9:46 pm

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu