Camera system sweeps Alumni

It's football season. The air is crisp, the burgers are on the grill, and the beers are on ice for that buzz right before the game. But maybe that buzz isn't enough so you take a Coke can and fill it with some rum. It's an unassuming can of soda; no one will ever know what's really in it, right?

Wrong. Despite the droves that rush into Alumni Stadium every season, all 44,500 people are closely monitored by the Boston College Police Department (BCPD) using a multi-camera system that can survey all parts of the stadium, both in and out. From the Command Post room located inside Alumni Stadium, BCPD uses these cameras to identify problematic situations and deal with them accordingly.

The 44 officers on duty during games communicate to the CP room using radio transmitters to tell the dispatcher about problems in different seating sections, as well as tailgating problems in Shea Field. Five closed circuit monitors show the feeds from cameras throughout the stadium.

"When you hear a radio transmission of a problem, the camera will zero in on that area," said BC Police Chief Robert Morse. "The camera jiggles a little bit because of all the movement in the stadium, but when [the dispatcher] locks [the camera], now they're on film."

Morse said the system has been helpful in apprehending those caught drinking inside the stadium since the tape recordings and digital photo stills show evidence of the act. The system has been in place since the construction of Alumni Stadium in 1957, and have been improved recently with a switch from analog to digital taping. All tapes and photo stills are archived.

"If anything happens, the camera will automatically have it recorded so if there's an issue [during apprehension], we can see on film what actually happened," said Morse.

The cameras start rolling during tailgating hours in Shea Field, continue into game time, and stop rolling when the game ends. The cameras are powerful enough to zoom in to check license plates in Shea Field, survey the reservoir, and focus in on specific people in the bleachers. There are no cameras on the concourse. On regular days, the cameras remain focused on various fixed points.

Since the cameras can do a total 360-degree sweep of Alumni Stadium and the areas immediately outside of it, BCPD has the ability to protect most areas of campus at all times.

"It adds a measure of security to the stadium," said Morse. "Instead of having a huge amount of people in the stadium looking ground level, the cameras can look for you and be your eyes and ears to see what's going on."

If a person is spotted doing something unsafe or if there is a medical situation, BCPD will apprehend him or her and deal with the party diplomatically and submit a report to the Office of the Dean for Student Development as it sees fit.

"Especially if they're BC students we'd rather not make an arrest," Morse said.

Should a person resist BCPD by struggling because of incapacitation, or should they commit a serious crime, he or she will be arrested. Non-BC students are more likely to be expelled from University grounds and issued a trespass warning depending on the severity of the act.

Morse said troublesome behavior at Saturday's game was minor, but he anticipates more alcohol-related problems next weekend when BC plays Florida State University.

"Next week I guarantee you that somewhere in the first quarter in the student section, there'll most likely be a student hanging over the rail," said Morse, demonstrating the student's limp position over the rail.

He also anticipates more alcohol-related problems due to cold weather. "It gets worse when the cold weather comes in because they want the alcohol to stay warm," he said. "It's easier to get it into the stadium because there are more coats to stuff them in."

Under Homeland Security, the University has put in for a $1 million grant to add more cameras to different areas in order to watch the garages, and the entrance by St. Ignatius Gate. BCPD also looks to improve in-stadium patrolling by dividing the seating into grids for quicker identification of problem areas.