Local News

Boston Police Plan For Celtics Crowds

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Boston Police are finalizing their plans to control late night crowds when the NBA Finals wrap up. With the Celtics leading the series 3-1, every game played from here on out has the possibility to be a clinching game - pouring fans into the streets.

Friday afternoon, Boston Police Superintendent Robert Dunford met with his officers to go over safety and crowd control. Whether the Celtics win or lose the series, fans could be rowdy, with the team battling for their first NBA title in more than twenty years.

Dunford won't say how many officers will be on duty Sunday night, but he said there will be as many as necessary.

Police will close down several roads around the Garden Sunday, and they are asking bars that have TV monitors pointed out toward the streets to cover the windows so crowds won't gather outside.

"We still get a good crowd," said bar manager Walter Downing. "Everybody's got plasma TVs now, so they want to be close to the Garden."

However, police said they do feel they have timing on their side because most college students have gone home for the summer.

"We definitely have less people we believe would be involved in large-scale spontaneous celebrations.  Sunday night is a good night.  Everyone has to get up early Monday for work, so timing is great," said Boston police Superintendent Dan Linskey. "Hopefully the Celtics take it Sunday night."

Boston police have plenty of recent experience in dealing with rowdy sports fans. In the last handful of years Boston has celebrated three Super Bowl championships and two World Series wins. There are always large crowds in the streets; some revelers tend to light bonfires, toss trash cans and even flip cars, but there have been no serious injuries since the city had an unfortunates series of wake-up calls in 2004.

In February of 2004 James Grabowsky was celebrating the Patriots Super Bowl win near Northeastern University, when a drunk driver plowed into the crowd, killing him. Later that year, Emerson student Victoria Snelgrove was killed while celebrating the Red Sox ALCS win near Fenway Park. Snelgrove was hit in the eye with a pellet shot from a police pellet gun.

Ever since that time, when the possibility of a championship is in the air, a well-organized force of Boston Police take to the streets en masse - on foot, horseback and bicycle. City leaders meet with local colleges, encouraging harsh academic punishment for students who break the law during sports celebrations.

View: 2007 Red Sox Fans Get Rowdy
View: 2007 Sox Fans Arrested

Boston Police practiced their readiness as recently as February. While the Patriots played in Arizona at the Super Bowl, Boston cops stood at the ready - closing down streets and successfully containing and dispersing crowds

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