OSU experts give information and tips of how to navigate and stay safe during home football games this semester. Credit: Grace Everett | Lantern Reporter
A stadium of 100,000 fans can move together as a large crowd, but Ohio State has a plan to make sure that does not happen.
The crowd control starts months before the kickoff.
“If all the fans decide to act as one, there’s no way to stop them,” Brian Turner, a professor of sport management at Ohio State, said.
As Ohio State prepares for another season in the ‘Shoe, crowd control measures, starting with this Saturday’s game against Ball State, coordination between multiple police agencies and new safety features will be put in place to protect fans and players.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Ohio State Police Division, state troopers and the Columbus Police Department work together on security, Turner said.
“We couldn’t do this without all our local partnerships with federal, local, state agencies and police departments,” University police? Deputy Chief Alan Horujko said. “We’re all working together for one goal, and that is a safe season.”
Sources did not confirm the specific number of security present for Saturday.
The coordination will be visible to fans approaching the ‘Shoe with some “pretty orange barricades,” Horujko said.
University police will place mobile barriers that are designed to protect pedestrians by preventing unauthorized vehicles from entering designated areas at checkpoints for fans with parking passes as they approach the stadium, adding a layer of security, he said.
Joining the coordination efforts, Meridian – a company specializing in security – employees will assist with setup and teardown before and after every game, allowing police officers to get into position faster, he said.?
Horujko said that road construction is also something that law enforcement has to consider when planning game days, including construction on College Road.
College Road is scheduled to have construction that will impact traffic throughout the first half of the season and advised that fans should plan to arrive early. It will be closed in both directions until late October between 12th Avenue and Hagerty Drive, according to Ohio State’s Transportation and Traffic Management website.?
The construction will also affect pedestrians and Campus Area Bus Stops, with sidewalk closures and detours to High Street, according to the website.?
Horujko also said that Woody Hayes Drive will be closed about four hours before kickoff, creating a traffic pattern that would reduce traffic away from the stadium.?
The closure has been used in previous years to manage large numbers of vehicles headed toward the ‘Shoe, he said.
College Road and Woody Hayes closures are part of a larger operation that is planned to keep campus safe.
“We really want to hone our skills and make campus as safe as possible on football Saturdays,” University police Chief Dennis Jeffrey said on the City of Ohio State “Safety with Dennis Jeffrey and Christian Selch” podcast. “It involved hundreds of officers besides OSUPD, so it’s a great relationship, we’re really proud of it and our main goal is to keep everyone safe on game day.”
